HISTORY OF THE COUNTY
: OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
x Aa
Vie
ee,
ok
ef acy
“ae Ps <3 oe -
a
i
oo HISTORY. oem
OF THE
= COUNTY OF LENNOX ~
AND ADDINGTON
BY
WALTER S. HERRINGTON,,. K.C.,
AUTHOR OF ‘‘ HEROINES OF CANADIAN HISTORY,” ‘‘ MARTYRS OF NEW
FRANCE,” ‘‘ THE EVOLUTION OF THE PRAIRIE PROVINCES.”
1 ie to ~" i”
ILLUSTRATED WITH EIGHTY-THREE HALF-TONES, TAKEN
FROM DAGUERREOTYPES AND PHOTOGRAPHS
-
CANADA, LIMITED
‘
’
a
COPYRIGHT, CANADA, 1913, BY W. S. HERRINGTON, K.C.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER PAGE
| I. Wuewn tie County was A WILDERNESS ...-+++++> I
' II. THe CoMING oF THE LOYALISTS .......-++0+0 0055 17
III. Tue Serr.inc oF THE LOYALISTS ....+++++++e0++5 36
’ IV. Tue DevetopMENtT OF MuNictpAL GOVERNMENT... 54
’ V. TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS AND PRICES .......+--++5+: 73
‘ VI. THe CouNTY SCHOOLS .....-. eee e neers eet eeees 97
| VII. ADoLPHUSTOWN ...... Kay da Ziel wn gehts 135
VIII. ERNESTTOWN AND BATH ..:....00000ceeeeseeeeees 152
IX. FREDERICKSBURGH «22. .50. ccc es eee lees eens ce ces 182
A eaeeeed TS ANDi: . oe antic to Rowen usc Vee wenceres 189
KE "PRC MO ND a oop erie tag vos os 6 TFC Ae CLs ee 203
XII. THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE .......---2 0002 eeeee 208
XIIT. THe Growth oF NAPANEE .......---20-s-seeeees 221
XIV. REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE ......---0-++eeeees: 234
P XV. Diversions AND RECREATIONS OF NAPANEE....---- 248
7 XVI BANKS AND BANKING .. 23065 008 ese eens onc eel 255
XVII. NAPANEE CHURCHES ......-- 2. eee cee ere eereeeees 262
XVIII. Napanee NEWSPAPERS ........ 0000. e eee ccc ees 270
XIX. CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH.........0. cee eeeeeeeees 283
XX. SHEFFIELD AND THE NorTHERN TOWNSHIPS ...... 326
XXI. BrocRaAPHIcaL SKETCHES .......--+--+-++- Pre ee 348
TEN, . ce aks 84 96 Cte cs ES So eee "go
5 . ae
a en « a “eo
‘
a a
i. » > 7 : =
‘
se my
= i)
U
;
:
©
.
‘
.
-
.
‘
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
The County of Lennox and Addington ...........++++ Frontispiece
‘Specimens of Indian Relics from the Collection of Walter Clark 1
Pirie. Lerinox Agms 55.0 case sie id ew tacn outs hen peneepemen 17
The Addingtan: Arms. oi. secs pede eesce me reebieet as heh ee 17
A Commission, from: Sir Isagc Brock «3. 252s. wsiwe cess 32
Mills on the Appanee River, from the Drawing by Mrs. Simcoe,
5) SOR NT TRE CEs RET eT CE cee Lire ce ey 33
The Macpherson Mill at Napanee... . ......sn2ecccctnecen slots 33
Minutes of the First Town Meeting of Adolphustown....... 48
Hay Bay Methodist Church, Built 1792..........+--+.-055 48
Pe Nerd. FIDE), OGCNEE 5 5.5550 Sis = vid o's ndes 49.0 08 ee Wie Ed Bote 97
Logging on the Napanee River ...........500ceceeeeeeeees 97
Pree Log SCHOOL PROMS. 05.6 55 bes xs dean haa aee se - dee 112
Continuation. School, ‘Tanmuwortli .. ....<.00<. os. scan deere a sen 112
The Langhorn Residence, Bath ..... te CNET ELON TE ek. 129
ie Fone avert. Bath osc ce ugs fs oie ass ons pe te amo ae’ 129
Rg Oy fe Pee Dre eee REP ee 144
Eo Gey (a Pe et ae ee cee 144
The Switzerville Chapel, Built 1826 ............. Wee ee 144
The U. E. L. Monument, Adolphustown..............-..45. 149
ee Panl’s- Church, Adolphuttowi® .. 2.3 6s... seo sde ee ees 149
_ The hagas Residence, CST Beh ee a ee ee 156
viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS x ee
PAGE
The Old Red Tavern, Napanee ................ IG vce ree 209
Archibald McNeil Residence, Clarkville ................... 224
Allan Macpherson Residence, Napanee .................-.- (224
David Roblin... 6005...) . oa ee 229
Benjamin C. DANY. src: teh see Sane BPR
John “Herring © 21. i. 22.5. in oe eee 229.
ei od: a re ANE Ee SU 229
Allan Maepherson 3, ¢:\/.. <5... <a 24 eenn a eee Betis 8 236
George HH. Detlor: ...abs.3 Anja cane ones ee ee e236
Alexander Campbell oi jae ds vctee oe co fee ee 236
Wiailami- Grate 5 ao hee pais ae cade pe 236
Sir John A. Macdonald at Napanee, 1877.................. 241
Napasice Snow-Shoe Club, 1886005... viv icaeew ea wos cais 241
The First Registry Office of Lennox and Addington, Millhaven 256
Promissory: Notes, Free, Holders Bank* >. 00:36:20 e.wh os oe 256
Rev, peeberd Ovens? .. 5st 8 3 oss cle Go ale eae vanes 261
ey: De. ermatd Laider i005 «s,s eatens wee mae a eee
St. Mary Magdalene Church, Napanee, 1840-1872 .......... 261
Rev. Paul Shirley ..:........ Wsatdands saNa KS tee ee eo oem 268 —
Rey -Cyris tk. AMison: > es .G ee cay eck lay Peis aoe a 268
» Bev; Father Browne (4600. cca, ie ce lecs s ls oe 268
Revs John -Se0tt= ose os ey ides Pcie ee sities sg ieee gatas iat. e) 268
Lennox and Addington Newspapers ............ AER's Snot ee
The. Academy: Newbuteh 4.2500 ilu ns acne teres, eee 288
The Aeatieny, (Napanee AiG fis coe ov ee eeu ok ae 288
UTE MS faa Ay Creer ec ry Bere, Mert oe Or ER MRE 309
AINSE AV VOREELED talks So ais hae nw ne eee See oe et ee 309
ia Vatines (Alert Shei carats sean hoe SEV OS RIES ee 309
RSCG Es LEP at ny Po ab te eae ee ter ao ae 309
Pi OR OLEVERSON: 5 4h o 40s Ss shy tne os as cee 316 >
Augustus Hooper ..... Pe se ree: vee ae 316
—
Sir John A. Macdonald .......... Pe BE ae ae 336
Sir Richard Cartwright ...... ng CORA ad dee aT hate 336
ees N. Lapin... 6... sve wdg ie aya ebm rece eee Sane 330
Wittam EH. Wilkison i:<.....-.snd¢alle toaseane hae cons 353
Pahiel Powlér . .. os 65.55.05 pea wee ee wnle VAs eee 353
Captain Thomas Dorland ...... ins eee apea Ware Geen Meee 353
Ribert. Philling: ic csmnces pees 00 bs cane Menmahd e TEE 353
Sir Gibett: Parker BCBG. 65 cians ends acneepeae esse 368
Hon. Sir Allen Aylesworth, K.C.M.G............002eeeeees 368
Cities Gennite James; CMG cr soe oc ees ies era tice 368
Matthew Joseph Butler, C.M.G. 2.0 cic eee ace eee trees 308
Officers and Trophy Team, Napanee Curling Club, 1902...... 369
County Council of 1908 and others ............--.eeee eens 384
Silver Leaf Baseball Club, 1874-1878..............-0 20005: 385
Napanee Cricket Club at Syracuse, 1886 ........ Pe AP eae 400
Bieiice icvile. Club SROO (655 o45 wired ong ected whee chs 404
The Staff, The Napanee Standard, 1878......... gas 2 5 EN 404
Members of the Board of Education, Napanee, 1890-1893.... 413
Napanee Collegiate Institute Football Team, 1905.......... 417
PREFACE
Had I not consented to undertake the task of writing a history of
Lennox and Addington, before I began to look about me for material,
| would probably not have given that consent quite so readily. Those
only who have attempted a work of this character can appreciate the
difficulties that lie in the way of the amateur historian. Many hours of
fruitless research may often be spent in an effort to fix a date or to
ascertain a name, and very frequently what appears to be reliable author-
ity may upon closer examination be found to be far astray in the inform-
ation so confidently communicated. All the depositories appeared to be
empty, many of the old residents had recently departed this life, and
such records as could be found were very incomplete. Old minute books
which had served their original purpose have been destroyed or are still
concealed among the rubbish of some unknown attic. If municipal
clerks and secretaries of public bodies had only been taught to preserve
all the books and documents appertaining to their office the work of
the historian would be greatly lightened. Yet with the assistance of
many willing helpers I have endeavoured to unearth all the available
data that I considered within the scope of my inquiry.
To Mr. Clarence M. Warner, President of the Lennox and Adding-
ton Historical Society, I desire especially to acknowledge my gratitude
for his never failing courtesy in placing at my disposal his own well
selected library and the files of the Society. He has directed my atten-
tion to many items that otherwise would have escaped my notice. I
received many valuable suggestions from Prof. W. L. Grant of Queen’s
University. I am also deeply indebted to the gentlemen whose papers
are reproduced in this volume, namely: Mr. E. R. Checkley, Geo. Anson
Aylesworth, Paul Stein, and J. P. Lochhead. The following have also
cheerfully rendered all the assistance in their power :—Robert Cox, A.
C. Warner, C. R. Jones, P. F. Carscallen, P. W. Dafoe, Daniel Davern,
Dr. H. S. Northmore, Ira Hudgins, Jno. A. Timmerman, T. S. Henry,
Alfred Knight, Jno. M. Wallace, Jno. T. Grange, Abraham E. Loucks,
Isaac Lockwood, E. O. Clark, Miss Helen Merrill, James _ S.
Cartwright, K.C., and Rev. James Cumberland. In short, on every
hand where I have sought for information I have found an eager-
hess to help. But for such encouragement I would long ago have felt
_ disposed to abandon the undertaking. My thanks are due to the Hon-
Xi PREFACE
ourable the Minister of Education, for his kind permission to use the
extracts from the Documentary History of Education in Upper Canada
which appear in the chapter upon the early schools. I have also con-
sulted and obtained much useful information from the following works:
—Picturesque Canada, Nothing But Names, Centennial of Canadian
Methodism, The Settlement of Upper Canada, The Makers of Canada,
the Ontario Bureau of Archives Reports, The Loyalists of America and
Their Times, The Medical Profession In Upper Canada, The Emigrant’s
Guide to Upper Canada, the Statutes of Upper Canada, A Compendious
History of the Rise and Progress of the Methodist Church, the files of
the Napanee Standard and the Napanee Beaver, and many other author-
ities dealing with the early history of the Province.
Doubtless many readers will think that some important events have
been but lightly touched upon, and some may venture the criticism that
undue prominence has been given. to others. In reply to the former
I may say that I have endeavoured to make the most of the material at
my command, and I would remind the latter that it is very difficult to
measure the importance of preserving some apparently trifling bit of
history. Above everything else I have aimed at accuracy, and while
many errors may have crept in unobserved, I feel confident that the
general statements of facts are upon the whole correct.
I have been singularly fortunate in securing photographs of many
of the county’s most celebrated men. Some of these are copies from
daguerreotypes, and others from faded photographs which are not in
suitable condition for reproduction ; but I feel that it is better to preserve
imperfect likenesses of such men as Samuel Casey and Peter Perry
than allow the opportunity to pass and lose all knowledge of their per-
sonal appearance.
W. S. HERRINGTON
Napanee, Ont., July Ist, 1913.
SPECIMENS OF INDIAN RELICS FROM THE COLLECTION OF MR. WALTER CLARK.
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 1
CHAPTER I
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS
We have no reason to believe that our county was at any time the
permanent home of the red man, though from the relics that have been
found we know that he frequently roamed over it in his hunting expedi-
tions and temporarily camped within its limits. We have not been able
to find traces of extensive burial places or fortifications such as have
been discovered in other localities, where the Indians were known to
have resided in large numbers for years at a time. The history of Len-
nox and Addington is thus a blank until the advent of the white men,
and the first European to set foot upon our soil was none other than
Champlain himself. In the autumn of 1615 he came down the Trent
River with his Huron allies, followed the Bay of Quinte to its mouth,
crossed the head of Lake Ontario, and entered the Mohawk Valley to
make war upon the Iroquois. Returning from this unsuccessful venture,
they wintered somewhere in this district, spending several weeks in a
grand deer hunt. r
The exact route followed by the explorers after re-crossing the lake
has been the subject of much controversy. We have advocates ready
to uphold the claims of Cataraqui River as being the stream which
they ascended, while others just as zealously award the distinction
to Hay Bay, Napanee River, and Salmon River. Champlain has told the
story himself, and I cannot do better than give his own words as trans-
lated by Annie Nettleton Bourne. Having concluded the description of
their retreat from the country of the Iroquois he continues: “After
having crossed the end of the Lake (Ontario) from the Island before
mentioned we went up a river about twelve leagues; then they carried
their canoes by land half a league, at the end of which we entered a lake
some ten or twelve leagues in circumference where there was a great
quantity of game, such as swans, white cranes, bustards, wild geese,
ducks, teal, thrushes, larks, snipe, geese, and several other kinds of birds
too numerous to mention, of which I killed a great number, which stood
us in good stead while we waited for some deer to be caught.
“From there we went to a certain place ten leagues off, where our
savages thought there were a great many of them. Twenty-five savages
got together and set about building two or three cabins of logs of wood,
laid one upon another and they stopped up the chinks,with moss to pré-
g HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
vent the air from coming in, covering them with barks of trees. When this
was done they went into the woods near a grove of firs where they made
an inclosure in the form of a triangle closed on two sides and open on one.
This inclosure was made by a stockade eight or nine feet high and about
1,500 paces long on each side: at the apex of this triangle there was a
little yard which grew narrower and narrower, covered in part by
branches leaving an opening of only five feet, about the width of an
ordinary door, by which the deer were to enter (this yard). They did
so well that in less than ten days they had the inclosure ready. Mean-
while some other savages had gone fishing for such fish as trout and pike
of immense size which were all that were needed. When everything
was ready they started half an hour before daylight to go into the woods
about half a league from their inclosure, separated from each other
eighty paces, each having two sticks which they beat together, marching
slowly in their order until they came to their inclosure. When the deer
hear this noise they flee before them until they reach the inclosure, into
which the savages drive them and gradually they come together at the
opening of their triangle, where the deer move along the sides of the
stockade until they reach the end, towards which the savages pursue
them sharply, with bow and arrow in hand, ready to shoot. And when
they reach the end of their triangle they begin to shoot and to imitate
wolves, which are plentiful and which devour the deer. The deer, hear-
ing this frightful noise, are obliged to enter the small yard by the narrow
opening, whither they are pursued in a very lively fashion by arrow
shots, and there they are easily caught; for this yard is so well -inclosed
and so confined that they cannot get out of it.
“There is great sport in such hunting, which they continued every
two days so successfully that in thirty-eight days they captured 120 deer,
from which they feasted well, reserving the fat for winter, which they
use as we do butter, and a little of the flesh which they carry off to their
houses to have for feasts with one another, and from the skins they make
themselves clothes. There are other devices for catching deer, such as
the snare, with which they take the lives of many. . . . . This is
how we passed the time while waiting for it to freeze, so that we might
go back more easily, since the country is very marshy.
“Tn the beginning, when we set out for the hunt, I went off too far
into the woods in pursuing a certain bird, which seemed strange to me.
It had a beak like that of a parrot and was as big as a hen and was
yellow all over except for its head which was red and its wings which
were blue. It made short flights like a partridge. My desire to kill it
led me to follow it from tree to tree a very long time, until it flew away.
Then losing all hope I wished to return my steps when I found none of
; P
i s ~. oe
S ~~ : — a © —4 we ot al
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 3
our hunters, who had been constantly gaining upon me until they had
reached their inclosure. In trying to catch up with them, going, as it
seemed to me, straight to where the inclosure was, I lost my way in the
forest—going now one way, now another—without being able to see
where I was. As night was coming on I passed it at the foot ot a large
tree.
“The next day I set out and walked until three o’clock in the after-
noon, when I found a little stagnant pond and seeing some geese there I
killed three or four birds. Tired and worn out I prepared to rest and
cook these birds, from which I made a good meal. My repast over, I
thought to myself what I ought to do, praying God to aid me in my mis-
fortune: for during three days there was nothing but rain mingled with
snow.
“Committing all to His mercy, I took courage more than before,
going hither and thither all day without catching a glimpse of any foot-
print or trail, except those of wild beasts, of which I generally saw a
good number: and so I passed the night without any consolation. At
dawn of the next day, after having a scant meal, I resolved to find
some brook and follow it, judging that it must needs empty into the
river on whose banks our hunters were. This resolution once made I
put it through with such success that at noon I found myself on the
shores of a small lake about a league and a half long, where I killed
some game which helped me very much; and I still had eight or ten
charges of powder. Walking along the bank of this lake to see where
it discharges, I found a rather large brook, which I followed until five
o’clock in the afternoon when I heard a great noise. Listening I could
not discover what it was until I heard the noise more distinctly, and
then I concluded that it was a waterfall in the river that I was looking
for. Going nearer I saw an opening, and when I had reached it, I
found myself in a very large, spacious meadow where there were a great
many wild animals, And looking on my right, I saw the river wide and
big. Wishing to examine this place, and walking in the meadow I found
myself in a little path where the savages carry their canoes. When I
had examined this place well, I recognized that it was the same river,
and that I had been that way. Well pleased at this, I supped on the
little that I had and lay down for the night. When morning came and
I had studied the place where I was, I inferred from certain mountains
that are on the border of that river that I was not mistaken and that our
hunters must be higher up than I by four or five good leagues, which I
covered at my leisure, going along the bank of this river till I caught
_ sight of the smoke of our hunters. I reached this place, greatly to their
happiness as well as to my own.”
— —— . 7 J
a ee oe es ae a
. ws,
fi
4 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
This brief narration of the experiences of the first white visitor to
this district is full of interest. We can form an idea of the abundance
of game when we consider that 120 deer were captured within the area
embraced by the stockades, which would not be more than 300 or 400
acres at the most. This fact would also indicate that there was no
extensive settlement in the neighbourhood. The trail of the portage
referred to by Champlain would point to a well defined route probably
used in reaching their famous hunting-grounds and lakes teeming with
fish. No clue, however, is furnished as to the point where he entered
this territory after re-crossing the lake upon their retreat from the
Mohawk Valley, although he refers to the “island before mentioned ;”
for no single island is referred to in the narrative. In describing the
trip across the lake on their way to the land of the Iroquois he uses the
following language: “When we arrived there we went across the eastern
end (of Lake Ontario) which is the entrance to the great River St. Law-
rence at Latitude Forty-three where there are some beautiful and very
large islands.” It is not clear therefore which of these large islands he
passed upon the return trip. It is reasonable to suppose that the river they
ascended after re-crossing the lake was the Cataraqui (Rideau) for
there is no other answering the description. It has been urged by some
that he regards the bay as a river and that he came up this bay; but
this theory will not hold, for no portage of half a league from the shore
of the bay would bring them to a lake “ten or twelve leagues in circum-
ference.” ‘The theory that Hay Bay is referred to may also be dismissed
for they could not go up Hay Bay “about twelve leagues.” The descrip-
tion of his route also negatives the suggestion made by some writers
that he ascended the Napanee or the Salmon River. Thus by a process
‘of elimination and by giving to his words their clear and obvious mean-
ing, we cannot arrive at any other conclusion than that the river he
ascended after crossing the end of the lake was the river at the mouth
of which he would find himself, the Cataraqui. Making due allowance
for the distances which he gives, and, bearing in mind that the league
referred to by him is the equivalent of two and one-half English sig
let us open our maps and follow him in his wanderings.
Going up the Cataraqui, the only lake in any way answering Cham-
plain’s description is Lake Loughborough, and the leagues would be pretty
short ones. As the ultimate destination of the party was Lake Simcoe
they would naturally work their way along in a north-westerly direction.
The cabins were built upon the banks of a river ten leagues distant. I
find great difficulty in fixing any spot upon the Napanee River that can
in any way be identified as the location of this encampment. I would
Ali a 4 es see a : » a 1 ;
on = ¢ a of a ee ee Tp a oe) oe, ee ee eed
>
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 5
rather suggest the Salmon as the river referred to, and the point where
they took up their temporary abode as somewhere between Long Lake
and Crotch Lake. I would further suggest that the noise which he
concluded was a waterfall was made by the rapids at Tamworth. He
does not say thére was a waterfall but that he was attracted by a noise
which he concluded was a waterfall, and when he approached the place
from which the noise came he saw an opening and found himself in a
very large spacious meadow, and he saw the river wide and big. After
the autumn rains, when the Salmon River would be swollen it would
appear “wide and big” above the rapids at Tamworth. He would also
recognize it as the same river which he had passed on his way to the site
of their encampment above Long Lake. By studying the location, as he
did on the following morning, probably from a tree top, he would be
able to discern in the distance the “mountains that are on the border of
that river” and satisfy himself that the hunters were higher up by “four
or five good leagues.” In his wanderings about this region, while hunt-
ing for his companions, he would easily come across several bodies of
water corresponding with the “small lake about a league and a half
long.” I am aware that this theory is not altogether free from objec-
tions, but I submit that the identifications which I suggest are quite
consistent with the narrative, and that in following out his course I have
done less violence to the description given by Champlain than will be
encountered in the other theories brought under my notice. While it
would be satisfactory to be able to point out the exact spot where
Champlain and his party built their cabins, it is not probable we will
ever be able to do so; but practically all authorities agree that it was
within or at least very near to the present limits of our county.
For the fifty years following the expedition of the Hurons into the
land of the Iroquois, this section of the country appears to have
attracted little, if any, attention. The feud between these fierce tribes
continued until the Hurons were almost exterminated and the Jesuit
mission among them abandoned. During this period, the Five Nations,
‘forming the allied Iroquois confederation, had confined themselves to
the territory south of Lake Ontario except when away upon their trad-
ing, hunting, or war expeditions. Several years after the dispersal of
the Hurons a band of Cayugas had crossed the lake and established a
colony on the south side of Prince Edward County. Their village was
called Kenté and the small body of water upon which it was located was
later called Lac de Kenté by the French. Historians differ as to the site
of this village, some contending that it was upon West Lake, others
advancing as good, if not better reasons to prove that it was at Weller’s
6 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
These Indians had for many years been more or less accustomed
to receive the ministrations of the Catholic Church from the Jesuit
missionaries who had been sent among them, and when established in
their new home at Kenté they felt the want of the services of the “Black
Robes,” as they called the priests, and in 1668 sent a deputation to Mon-
treal to petition the authorities to send a missionary to them. As their
application did not at first appear to be favourably received the old chief
Rohiaria went himself to Montreal in the month of September to urge
the needs of his people, with the result that two Sulpicians, MM.
Trouvé and Fenelon, volunteered for the service. The great French
statesman Jean Baptiste Colbert was at this time the moving spirit in
all colonial matters under Louis XIV. He had shown a deep concern
for New France and hoped to win the Indians from their savage cus-
toms by teaching them the French language and thus bringing them in
closer touch with civilization, and had given instructions to Governor
‘Courcelles to do all in his power to further this end. The missionary at
this time was recognized, not only as the representative of the Church,
but was expected to render certain services to the state also, and in more
than one crisis proved himself to be a wise and skilful diplomat. The
two Sulpicians, therefore, upon receiving the consent of their Superior
to engage in the new enterprise, hastened to Quebec, obtained their
appointment from Bishop Laval, and their credentials from the civil gov-
ernment.
These were the first official steps taken by the church and
state to care for the wants of the inhabitants of the Midland District of
Ontario and we have no occasion to be ashamed of the first representa-
tives set in authority over this territory. Father Fenelon was a young
man of noble birth, son of Count Fenelon-Salignac and brother of the
great Archbishop of Cambray. We may rightfully boast of the many
great men who have lived in the counties bordering on the Bay of
Quinte; but we recall none of better lineage and fairer parts than this
modest and pious Sulpician, who freely abandoned a life of comfort and
luxury in France to devote his means and talents to assist in redeeming
the pagan Indians of New France. It was a long move from the Court
of King Louis to the wilderness of Canada, but he gladly embraced the
opportunity and, full of hope and determination, completed his prepara-
tions for the journey to the new field that opened up for him at the
Cayuga village.
Everything was in readiness on October 2nd, and the two priests
set out from Lachine accompanied by two Cayuga guides. It was
a long and tedious paddle and one that most young men not accus-
tomed to the hardships of pioneer life would seek to escape; but the
rn),
>
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 7
Sulpicians bore their full share of the burden and arrived at the
appointed post on October the 28th. Tired and hungry they were wel-
comed by the Cayugas, who regaled them with a repast of pumpkins
fried in suet and varied the menu on the following day by a dish of
corn and sunflower seeds. They at once entered upon their duties,
making their headquarters at Kenté, from which their field of labour
was known as the Kenté mission. So closely was this associated with
that body of water, over which they frequently paddled, that in the
course of time the name of the village was transferred to the bay, and
in Quinte we retain to-day a corrupted form of the word “Kenté.”
Not content labouring in one place alone, the missionaries sought to
extend their sphere of usefulness by establishing outposts at convenient
points. One of these was at Frenchman’s Bay, the lake shore port of
the town of Whitby, another at Ganeraski, the site of the present town
of Port Hope, and the third, Ganneious, has generally been conceded to
have been in this county, somewhere upon the Napanee River not far
from its mouth, which would indicate that at this time there must have
been at least some scattered Indian lodges along the bay. The necessity
for living in villages was not so urgent among these representatives of
the Iroquois who had crossed the lake to settle on the north shore, as it
was among the Hurons and Algonquins fifty years before. There was
no one to wage war upon the new arrivals in this part of the country
and large communities no longer required to live together for the pur-
pose of defence. Except for such general hunts as were described by
Champlain, an isolated family could provide itself with game more
easily if living apart from its fellows in some secluded cove or sheltered
spot. There does not appear to have been any successful effort to fix
with certainty the location of this outpost, probably because there is
so little data from which to deduce any conclusion. Through the efforts
of the zealous Jesuit Father the Rev. A. E. Jones, S.J., nearly every
village and mission house of Huronia has been located; but there the
structures were upon a more extended scale than we would expect in
the case of a new mission station. It has been recently contended that
Ganneious was on the Fredericksburgh side near the mouth of the river,
and it is claimed that there still exist upon the farm of Ezra Hambly
traces of the foundation of the building erected by Fenelon and his
companions.
France had been bitterly disappointed at her failure to subdue the
Indians, and severe criticisms had been made of the methods of the
Jesuits in endeavouring to teach the Indians in their native tongue,
instead of instructing them in the French language, which it was
claimed was the surest road to civilization. Thus did these arm-chair
i |
8 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
critics in Paris sit in judgment upon the holy fathers, who had laid
down their lives for the cause that was so dear to their hearts. Little
did the courtiers know of the wide gulf that separated the savage from
the white man. Champlain, through his unfortunate alliance with the
Hurons and Algonquins, had added more fuel to the fire of hatred that
burned within the breasts of the Iroquois, who vowed a terrible ven-
geance not only upon their hereditary enemies, but upon the white men
who had humbled their pride, slain their chiefs, and invaded their terri-
tory; and nothing would satiate their thirst for the blood of their rivals
but the complete extermination of the tribes opposed to them.
The history of the world has recorded the incompatibility of the
sword and cross advancing hand in hand, and the task of the Jesuits,
difficult enough at its best, was rendered much more so by reason of the
attacks of the French upon the Iroquois at the very beginning of their
attempt to colonize New France. The messengers of peace, not
through the assistance of the representatives of the crown, but in spite
of the unwise policy of the civil authorities, had made substantial pro-
gress in their missionary labours among the savages. To no other cause
can we attribute the desire of the Cayugas at Kenté to have a missionary
sent to them than that the lingering traces of the truths of Christianity
that had been instilled in their hearts by such faithful exponents of the
Gospel as Father Jogues still influenced them. It was upon this founda-
tion laid by him and his fellow labourers, a foundation shattered and torn
asunder by the inconsistencies of the representatives of the crown, that
the Sulpicians now began anew to build up a faith in the religion of the
cross.
To appease the Governor and the Intendant, who had received their
instructions from Colbert, a new policy was to be adopted. ‘The Indians
were to be taught the French language, and it was hoped that by this means
all racial differences would be wiped out, the native tribes would be
brought nearer to the superior race, in closer touch with their life, its
aims, and ambitions, and that by this new method, light would be admit-
ted to the darkness surrounding the pagan soul, trade would be re-estab-
lished upon a surer basis, and a colony would spring up that would
greatly extend the power of France over the new world. To this end
the Sulpicians bent all their energies, and during the long winter even-
ings in the stifling atmosphere of a crowded and smoking wigwam the
patient fathers imparted to the wondering circle of attentive listeners the
mysteries of the new tongue. At Ganneious was established one of
their embryo academies, the first step taken towards the creation of an
educational system in this district. In the spring of 1669 Fenelon paid
a flying visit to Montreal and reported upon his work; and so pleased
——
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 9
were the authorities with the progress he had made that another priest
was added to his staff and he returned with M. D’Urfé, who remained
with M. Trouvé at Kenté while his Superior proceeded farther west and
spent the following winter at Frenchman’s Bay.
The season proved to be the severest ever experienced by the white
men in the new world, both for its length and intensity. They were too
far removed from Montreal to obtain any succour from that source and,
as the colony had been in existence for only four years, the Indians had
not been able in their new home north of the lake to raise sufficient food
stuff upon the limited quantity of land under cultivation to tide them over
until spring. To the bitterness of the keen frost was added the terror of
a wasting famine, and the priests shared the miseries of their parishioners
by eking out their scanty larder with such game as they could share and
such roots as could be dug from the frozen ground. It is generally believ-
ed that from the exposure suffered by M. Fenelon during these terrible
months his constitution was so shattered that he never fully recovered.
For five years he laboured in this district, dividing his time among the
various stations of the mission, and penetrating to the north in Victoria
County where Fenelon township and Fenelon Falls still bear the name
of this ardent young pioneer priest and educationist.
In 1674, shortly after the building of Fort Frontenac, he became
involved in an unfortunate quarrel over the appointment of a Governor
of Montreal, which seigniory belonged to the Sulpicians, who claimed
the right to appoint their own Governor and resented the interference of
the Governor of the colony. Quite naturally, Fenelon espoused the cause
of his brethren of the Seminary, and with perhaps more courage than
prudence, considering the jealousy existing between the civil and ecclesi-
astical authorities, he preached the Easter sermon in the Church of the
Hotel Dieu at Montreal, and in the course of his remarks pointed out
the attributes that should characterize the rule of a God-fearing Gover-
nor. Among his congregation was a warm friend of the Governor who
was associated with him in some business transactions of the very char-
acter which the preacher had denounced. The offending Abbé was
summoned before the Council at Quebec, appointees of the Governor,
and charged with sedition. He challenged the jurisdiction of this civil
tribunal to sit in judgment upon him and the case was eventually car-
ried before the King. Fenelon’s objection to the authority of the Coun-
cil was sustained ; but for diplomatic reasons, possessing no true merit, he
was enjoined from again returning to the mission field. He died a few
years after his return to France at the early age of thirty-eight, a
natural death it is true, yet none the less a martyr to the cause to
which he so unreservedly devoted his life.
10 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
While it is generally conceded that Frontenac was a wise and able
Governor and possessed of remarkable tact in dealing with the Indians,
it is at the same time alleged that he did not scruple to take advantage of
the opportunities that came his way to engage in trade to repair his
shattered fortunes. The member of Fenelon’s Easter congregation, who
resented the insinuations of the pulpit, was none other than Sieur de la
Salle, the famous explorer, whose long cherished dream was the dis-
covery of a western passage to China. He, like so many of the early
adventurers to Canada, was born of wealthy parents and had received a
good education. From his elder brother, a priest of St. Sulpice, who .
had preceded him to Canada, he had gathered much information of the
new world. The priests of the Seminary of St. Sulpice were the feudal
lords of Montreal, and in order to facilitate the growth of the settle-
ment, they granted large tracts of land to intending settlers. In 1666
La Salle sailed to Canada and obtained from the Sulpicians a grant of
land on the bank of the St. Lawrence at the place now known as
Lachine. This he parcelled out among a number of settlers, reserving
a considerable portion for himself. He soon mastered several Indian
languages, preparatory to the great task he seems to have conceived
shortly after his arrival in Canada, if, indeed, he had not entertained the
idea before he sailed from France. Ever since the travels of Marco Polo
in the thirteenth century the wealth of China had attracted the civilized
world and it was still believed that a passage would yet be discovered
across America that would afford a short route to that land of gold and
spices.
La Salle had heard of the Ohio River, which he believed emptied
into the Gulf of California, and which would thus solve the problem which
had so long perplexed the adventurers in search of this western passage.
To explore this river was now his one great object in life to which all
his other enterprises were tributary. Such was his burning zeal that to
his Seigniory was given in mockery the name of China, known in France
as La Chine. Obtaining the consent of the Governor to pursue his
explorations he sold his Seigniory at La Chine, purchased and equipped
four canoes, and set out on his first expedition. I have dealt elsewhere*
with the heroic efforts of La Salle to accomplish his end, and it is not to
our present purpose to follow him through all his trying experiences.
Suffice it to say, that by 1673, he had satisfied himself that the Mississippi
flowed southward into the Gulf of Mexico, and would furnish a direct
means of communication with the fertile plains of the interior of the
continent, the hunting-grounds along the banks of.its northern tributar-
ies, and the shores of the upper lakes. Frontenac, the Governor at this
* Martyrs of New France, page 105
-
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS ll
time, had, from the time of his arrival, been studying the trade and
Indian problem and adopting the recommendation of his predecessors,
concluded to erect a fort near the outlet of Lake Ontario, which would
serve the double purpose of holding in check the restless Iroquois and
controlling the fur trade of the upper country. La Salle had won the.
confidence of the Governor, who despatched him in advance to locate the
site of the new fort, while he made elaborate preparations for his impos-
ing trip up the St. Lawrence. The original design was to erect the fort
upon the Bay of Quinte and, but for La Salle, who chose the mouth of
the Cataraqui instead, Kingston would have been shorn of a portion of
her glory and our county would in all probability have enjoyed the
distinction of possessing the first military and trading-post in this part of
Canada.
There is a general belief, which appears to be well founded,
that the Governor saw in this new enterprise an opportunity to reap a
rich harvest from the cargoes of furs that would naturally find their way
to the new fort, and subsequent developments appear to justify the con-
clusion that La Salle expected to enjoy a portion of the profits. In any
event the establishment of a post at the foot of the lake was one step in
his design and brought a possible base of supplies nearer the scene of
his own future operations.
La Salle repaired to Onondaga, the chief village of the Iroquois, to
invite them to meet the great Onontio, as the Governor was styled, at
the rendezvous upon the banks of the Cataraqui. On July 12th, 1673,
Frontenac, arrayed in his richest apparel, the centre of attraction of a
flotilla of a hundred and twenty canoes, manned by four hundred follow-
ers, was received with great pomp on the site of what is now the Lime-
stone City. The following days were spent in outlining the new fort,
haranguing the Iroquois, and in council meetings and festivities calcu-
lated to inspire them with fear and respect for the Great White Father.
Meanwhile the Frenchmen in the district who were skilled in the
use of their tools, set to work felling trees, hewing them into shape,
and placing them in position under the direction of the engineer; and
to the astonishment of the Iroquois there soon arose the first building on
the site of the present City of Kingston, which in honour of its
founder was afterwards called Fort Frontenac. There can be no doubt
that it served its purpose of keeping the hostile Indians in check, but
was not calculated to improve the trade of the country in general, as
was quite evident from the storm of opposition raised by the merchants
of Quebec. After the ceremonies were concluded and the Iroquais had
returned across the lake, a number of representatives from Kenté and
Ganneious appeared upon the scene to pay their respects to the Great
12 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Onontio, who addressed .them as he had their brethren, exhorting them
to live in peace with the French.
It was in the following spring that La Salle so rudely interrupted
the Easter sermon of Abbé Fenelon on behalf of his friend the Gover-
nor, who was not slow to compensate him for his action. La Salle,
armed with strong recommendations from Frontenac, returned to
France and petitioned the King for a grant of the fort, upon condi-
tion that the petitioner be bound to maintain it in an efficient state of
defence, to pay to the Governor the cost incurred in establishing it, to
make grants of land to all willing to settle there, to attract thither the
greatest number possible of Indians, to induce them to lead lives
more conformable to the customs of the white men, and to build a church
when the settlement had reached one hundred souls; meanwhile, to
entertain one or two Récollet friars to perform Divine service. In
short La Salle was to be the feudal lord of this grant, which was to
include not only the fort, but four leagues of land along the lake shore
westward and the two islands now known as Wolfe and Amherst. To
add further dignity to the proprietor he humbly supplicated His Majesty
to grant him letters of noblesse in consideration of the voyages and dis-
coveries he had made and the services he had rendered to the country.
By a decree bearing date May 13th, 1675, the prayer of La Salle,
with very slight modifications, was granted by King Louis.
This was the first grant of land in the province of Ontario, and as
our Island township was included in the Seigniory it will be seen that
that part of our county at least is justly entitled to some distinction. I
reluctantly forbear enlarging upon the growth and development of Kings-
_ ton which more properly belongs to the history of the adjoining county
of Frontenac.*
When Amherst Island first figured in history it was known by the
Indian name of Koonenesego and subsequently as Isle de Tonti, so called
after the faithful companion of La Salle. So far as known, the only
part it played in the programme of La Salle was upon the parchment bear-
ing the seal of King Louis, as the plan of colonization of the first settler
of Upper Canada was never realized. Had he been content to confine
himself to the course mapped out in his petition to the King he could
have amassed a fortune from the fur trade, which the advantageous
position of the fort would have secured for him; but the obtaining of
the Seigniory was but a means towards the accomplishment of the great
object of his life. He was first and foremost an explorer, determined
to wrest from the unknown west the secrets of its great rivers and
(*) To the reader who desires more enlightenment along this line I can confidently
recommend a perusal of Miss Machar's ‘‘ Story of Old Kingston.”
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 13
seas. To this end he directed all his energies, using Fort Frontenac as
the first of a series of bases marking his advance into the wilderness.
He had the satisfaction, after many reverses and bitter disappointments,
of reaching the mouth of the Mississippi and proclaiming the sovereignty
of France over all that great territory afterwards known as Louisiana.
Upon his return from this expedition La Salle found that his patron,
Frontenac, had been recalled. There had been a long-standing quarrel
between the Church and the Governor over the sale of liquor to the In-
dians, the Bishops claiming that the natives were debauched through, the
traffic, while the Governor upheld the practice as being necessary to retain
their trade in furs, advancing the argument that if they could not get
brandy from the French they would carry their peltries to the Hudson
and exchange them for the rum of the English. The argument of the
Bishops prevailed, and La Barre, who had no sympathy with the enter-
prise of the western explorer, now ruled as Governor of New France.
Under the pretext that the conditions of the grant had not been ful-
filled, he had in the absence of its proprietor sequestered Fort Frontenac.
Enraged at this harsh treatment, La Salle sailed for France and laid
before the King a plan for establishing a colony at the mouth of the
Mississippi and another farther up the banks of the Illinois, which well-
conceived plan, if successfully carried out, would have given to France
the control of the trade of the interior of the continent. His Majesty
favoured the project, rebuked the Governor for his seizure of Fort
Frontenac, and bade him return it to its rightful owner.
Full of hope in his new enterprise, La Salle sailed from France for
the Gulf of Mexico in July, 1684, fully equipped with four vessels, a
hundred soldiers, and a company of mechanics and labourers. In addition
to these, thirty volunteers, a number of families to form a colony, and six
priests joined the expedition. This ill-fated venture was doomed to almost
every form of disaster, and its unfortunate author, after witnessing
the loss or departtire of all his ships and most of his followers, was mur-
dered on the plains of Texas in a last desperate effort to reach New
France overland. No stone or monument marks to-day the last resting-
place of the first owner of a portion of the soil of what is now the county
of Lennox and Addington.
La Barre had proven himself so incompetent to cope with the situa-
tion in the New World that the King, under the pretence of solicitude
for his health and advancing years, requested him in 1685 to return to
France, acquainting him in the same letter with the appointment of
Monsieur de Denonville as his successor. The new Governor was
expected to master the Indian problem, which had been going from bad
14 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
to worse since the recall of Frontenac. The English were bidding high
for the fur trade both at New York and on Hudson Bay, and the Iro-
quois were growing restless and defiant. It was claimed by the French
that the English resorted to every artifice, not only to intercept the trade
on its way to the warehouses of Quebec, but to stir up the Iroquois to
attack the French colonies.
In 1687, after receiving reinforcements from France, Denonville
resolved to strike a blow at the Iroquois, calculated not only to subdue
them but to regain the confidence of the western tribes, whose trade was
slowly finding its way to the English. At the inception of his campaign
he practised.a deception upon his enemies which his warmest supporters
never seriously attempted to justify. Setting out for Fort Frontenac
with a strong force he sent messengers among the Iroquois inviting them
to a feast and friendly conference at the fort. The missionary, Lamber-
ville, believing that the Governor merely intended to follow the course
pursued by Frontenac at the building of the fort, prevailed upon many
of the chiefs and their families to cross the lake to meet Denonville and,
no sooner were they within the palisades than they were captured, and
the able-bodied warriors deported to France as galley slaves. The
Indians, with a more delicate sense of honour than that shown by their
treacherous Governor, did not visit their vengeance upon the missionary,
who was still in their power, but, knowing that he had been deceived as
well as themselves, they permitted him to escape to his fellow-country-
men.
Among the number ensnared by this disgraceful artifice of Denon-
ville were the leading representatives of the villages of Kenté and Gan-
neious; in fact, some eighteen men and sixty women and children were
made prisoners at the latter village while pursuing their peaceful occu-
pations. During these years of strife they had remained neutral, living
on friendly terms with the garrison at Cataraqui, for whom they hunted
and fished, receiving in return such merchandise as the French were
able to supply them. Although the Governor in his subsequent invasion
of the Mohawk valley achieved a signal victory against the Iroquois, the
honour of his achievement was robbed of its glory. The unoffending
villagers, who had been instructed in the white man’s code of honour by
Fenelon and his successors, fell easy victims to the trap that was laid
for them. The apparent advantage gained at the time was more than
offset by the years of bitter warfare which followed, culminating in the
terrible massacre at Lachine. The good work of the missionaries was
undone; and the Kenté villages, which might, under the fostering care of
a prudent Governor, have developed into thriving colonies in this and
WHEN THE COUNTY WAS A WILDERNESS 15
the adjoining counties, no longer trusting to the promises of the white
men appear to have faded away, probably to join their brethren across
the lake.
By 1689 the fate of New France was hanging by a very slen-
der thread. The motherland was at war with England and the colonists
of Canada were terrorized by the raids of the bloodthirsty Iroquois.
_ Trade was paralyzed, the English were gaining ground in every direc-
tion, and the colony appeared to be doomed. All eyes turned to Fron-
tenac as the one man capable of coping with the situation. He was now
in his seventieth year; but when appealed to by the King to assume
command again in the colony, he consented. One of the last acts of
Denonville was to order the destruction of Fort Frontenac, which order
the new Governor sought too late to countermand. It was dismantled
and blown up, to be rebuilt again in 1696 by its founder, who recognized
its strategic position. :
The century following the return of Frontenac to New France was
a period fraught with events of momentous importance to Canada; but
our local territory was far removed from the principal scenes of action,
and we hasten on to a time when our history begins to have a local
colour.
It may well be asked what transpired in this part of the country
during this long period of nearly one hundred years from the capture of
the Indians at Ganneious to the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists.
That the traders and Indians frequently passed this way along the waters
of the Bay of Quinte there can be no doubt. It is equally probable, in
fact almost certain, that the red man traversed these townships in pur-
suit of game, camping in favourite spots perhaps for weeks at a time,
and returning again to the same haunts in successive years; but no event
Fs of historic importance appears to have transpired within the limits of
the county. Relics have been found in various parts of the county, but
| not in sufficient quantities to justify the conclusion that at any time
:7 prior to the advent of the Loyalists had there ever been a settlement of
| any consequence. The collection gathered by Mr. Walter Clark of
Ernesttown and now in the possession of the Lennox and Addington
Historical Society consists of such articles as might, from year to year,
be lost or cast aside in the chase or carelessly left behind when shifting
a temporary camp from place to place. This excellent collection, the
only one in the county worthy of the name, consists of arrow-heads,
axes, pipes, spear heads, pestles, and ornaments, the result of a syste-
matic search extending over a period of thirty years. With commendable
pride and enthusiasm Mr. Clark recounts his experiences in gathering
;
.
"
. ee
\
16 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON —
these were found upon or near the banks of Big Creek in the Fifth
Concession of Ernesttown, and Mr. Clark is of opinion that they do
not indicate the location of a village, but a temporary camping-ground of
Indians engaged in the chase or some other peaceful pursuit. These
hunting-grounds could be reached by canoe, entering the mouth of Big
Creek at the head of Hay Bay, and that is probably the route that was
taken.
; a ie =
so many valuable relics of the aborigines of the county. Nearly all of
:
‘
|
_ ReL.e,
‘RICHMOND AND GORDON
2,
€ DS,
GZ a LW4
Bly, SONS
THE LENNOX ARMS.
SIDMOUTH.
THE ADDINGTON ARMS.
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 17
CHAPTER II
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS
The permanent settlement of this county began with the arrival of
the United Empire Loyalists in 1784. Let us briefly glance at the causes
which led to the emigration of so great a number of American colonists
te the provinces of Canada. No one to-day attempts to justify the
oppression of the American colonies by King George the Third and his
ministers, and none will deny that the colonists had just cause of com-
plaint.
From its very inception the colony of Massachusetts Bay,
founded by the “Puritan Fathers” in 1628, but not to be confounded
with the “Pilgrim Fathers” of 1620, had been a thorn in the side of the
Parliament of Great Britain. No sooner had they set foot in America,
than they cast to the winds all idea of religious toleration and set up an
established church more exacting in its demands than that from which
they had fled. As one eminent statesman tersely put it: “In short, this
people, who in England could not bear to be chastised with rods, had no
sooner got free from their fetters than they scourged their fellow
refugees with scorpions; though the absurdity as well as the injustice
of such proceeding in them might stare them in the face!”* The wor-
ship of the Church of England was suppressed, the Congregational
Church set up in its stead, and all who refused to subscribe to the new
doctrine were disfranchised and punished by whipping and banishment.
Operating under an English charter, they denied the right of that gov-
ernment, under whose favour they had a legal existence, to exercise a
supervision over the powers granted them. Although strong in their
hypocritical professions of loyalty, they disregarded the mandates of the
Crown and, while preaching the doctrine of freedom of speech and
action, they granted no liberties to their fellow colonists who refused
to subscribe to their articles of faith. True it is that in time their inso-
lence was checked and much of the mischief which they had done was
relieved by the intervention of Great Britain; but this only emphasized
the danger of colonial rule and the wisdom of the American colonies
_ Ttemaining integral parts of the parent state. For the disaffected colonies
to complain of their treatment at the hands of the King and his advisers
-and to seek redress for their grievances was the undoubted right of
_—s- * Burke, Vol. II, Second London Edition, 1758
18 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
every British subject, and many of England’s wisest statesmen, trusting
in their repeated professions of loyalty, were the strongest champions
of their cause.
In the autumn of the year 1774 a general convention of delegates
from twelve of the thirteen provinces—Georgia not sending any dele-
gates—was held at Philadelphia. The principal acts of this Congress,
as it was called, were a Declaration of Rights, an address to the King,
an address to the people of Great Britain, a memorial to the Americans,
and a letter to the people of Canada. A close study of these several
documents will not disclose a single expression of disloyalty to the
Crown. Their arguments were based upon the constitutional rights of
the colonists as subjects of Great Britain. There is no hint or sugges-
-tion of secession ; but on the contrary they entreat “His Majesty’s gracious
interposition to remove such grievances and thereby to restore to Great
Britain and the colonies that harmony so necessary to the happiness of
the British Empire, and so ardently desired by all America.”
In the address of this Congress to the people of Great Britain they
specifically deny any idea of seeking independence in the following words:
“You have been told that we are seditious, impatient of government, and
desirous of independence. Be assured that these are not facts but
calumnies.” It was upon the assurance that independence was not the
object in view that the colonists supported the delegates in their Declar-
ation of Rights, the principles of which could be advocated by every
Canadian to-day, without detracting one iota from his loyalty. It was
upon this assurance that Lord Chatham, and many other English states-
men of unquestioned loyalty to the throne, so ably defended their
brethren across the sea. Can it be supposed for one moment that the
authors of the words I have quoted would have had the support of their
fellow colonists, if they had announced their intention of invoking the
aid of England’s bitterest foes, who, with their Indian allies, had raided
the towns and villages of New England and laid in ashes the homes of
the frontiersmen? The colonists were determined to insist upon what
they considered to be their rights under the British Constitution and, if
necessary, were prepared to defend those rights by force, not as revolu-
tionists, but as British subjects, and the delegates to Congress had no
mandate from the people to adopt any other policy. To depart from
the principles outlined in the Declaration of Rights and in the address to
Great Britain was a breach of faith, not only with the colonists them-
selves, but with their sympathizers in Great Britain, who were fighting
their battles for them in Parliament. The despotic rule of King George,
seconded by his corrupt ministers and Parliament, was as loudly
denounced in England as it was in America; but the champions of the
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 19
colonists had no thought of encouraging secession, and no reason to
believe that the American Congress would violate its professions of
loyalty. As late as November, 1775, the legislature of Pennsylvania
passed a resolution giving to its delegates the following instructions:
“We direct that you exert your utmost endeavours to agree upon and
recommend such measures as you shall judge to afford the best proposal
of obtaining redress of American grievances, and restoring that unity
and harmony between Great Britain and the colonies so essential to the
welfare and happiness of both countries. Though the oppressive meas-
ures of the British Parliament and Administration have compelled us to
resist their violence by force of arms, yet we strictly enjoin you, that
you, in behalf of this colony, dissent from and utterly reject any pro-
positions, should such be made, that may cause or lead to a separation
from our mother country or change the form of this government.”
Could words be framed to express in stronger language the attachment
of the legislature to the British constitution and its determination to
adhere to it?
When we consider the feelings of the loyal colonists, who,
although ready to assert by force of arms their rights under the British
Constitution, were averse to substituting another form of government,
we can readily conceive how their long cherished attachment to the
British flag received a cruel and unexpected shock when the unheralded
Declaration of Independence was passed by the Congress. Contrast the
assurances given out on both sides of the Atlantic to the friends of the
persecuted colonists with the concluding paragraph of that historic
document: “We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of
America, in Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the
World for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the
authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and
declare, that the United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and
Independent States; and that they are absolved from allegiance to the
British Crown; and that all political connection between them and the
State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that,
as Free and Independent States, they have full power to levy war, con-
clude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other
acts and things which Independent States may of right do. And for the
support of this Declaration, with a pious reliance on the protection of
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our
fortunes, and our sacred honour.”
Let us glance for a moment at the manner in which this remark-
able change of front was brought about, and we shall see that it was far
from the unanimous voice of the delegates, although it was so announced
20 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
at the time. Upon the reassembling of the General Congress in May,
1776, the great question of independence was for the first time proposed.
During the adjournment of the delegates the worst government Great
Britain had ever known, encouraged by its most despotic of Kings, had
rejected the petition of the colonists praying for redress of their griev-
ances and had resolved upon the most drastic measures to drive their
American fellow subjects into submission. An Act was passed
providing for the increase of the army and navy and_ the
hiring of seventeen thousand Hanoverian and Hessian mercen-
aries to chastise the colonists. The King entertained the hope that such
a display of force would overawe the rising tide of rebellion, but in this
he sadly misjudged his people. He had received ample warnings from
America and from his ablest statesmen in England, notably such men
as Chatham, Camden, Shelburne, Fox, Burke, and Cavendish that the
spirit of freedom in the proud breast of every British subject could not
be quenched even by a King and Parliament and that the fundamental
principles of the British Constitution would in the end prevail.
When the news of the passing of this Act reached America, the
country, as a whole, was determined to resist the invasion of their rights.
Fiery editors and pamphleteers preached the doctrine of independence.
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “(Common Sense” was read in every village and
hamlet and more than any other agency diffused the sentiments and feel-
ings which produced the act of separation. Yet in the face of the agitation
for independence, only four of the colonies had taken a position, which,
upon the most favourable construction, could be interpreted as giving
authority to their delegates to vote for a Declaration of Independence,
if such a resolution should be introduced. Resistance to the King’s
forces was held by the great majority to be quite compatible with a
desire to preserve the old political ties. A parallel case has been aptly
cited in that of the Barons of Runnymede, who had no thought of
renouncing their allegiance or changing the form of government when
they wrested the Magna Charta from an overbearing King.
On June 7th, 1776, a resolution in favour of independence was sub-
mitted to the Congress by Richard Henry Lee and, after some discussion,
it was found that the time was not yet ripe to bring it to a vote, and fur-
ther consideration was postponed for a period of three weeks. On July 1st
the debate was resumed, and it was determined upon the motion of some
astute politician, whose name has not been preserved, that “the decision
on the question, whatever might be the state of the votes, should appear
to the world as the unanimous voice of the Congress.” On the first
vote six colonies were in favour of independence and six were against it
and, among those in favour of retaining British connection, was
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS ee
Pennsylvania, whose delegates had received specific instructions “to dis-
sent from and utterly reject any propositions, should such be made, that
may cause or lead to a separation from our mother country or a change
of the form of this government.” Through the influence of Samuel
Adams the vote of this colony, in violation of the trust committed to
the delegates, was turned in favour of the resolution by prevailing upon
one of their number either to absent himself from Congress at the criti-
cal moment, when the resolution was again presented, or to vote against
what must have been his own conviction up to that time.
It thus seems evident that the Declaration of Independence
was not the spontaneous act ‘of the delegates to Congress or
of the legislative bodies which they represented, not the deliberate
act of the people, brought about by the regularly constituted
authorities; but that the far-reaching resolution emanated from
a small body of men carried away by a momentary popular
uprising. Thousands, who declaimed against the tyranny of King
George and his ministers and were prepared to defend their con-
stitutional rights at the point of the bayonet, just as consistently refused
to acquiesce in the invasion of those same rights by their fellow colon-
ists. They had cast in their lot with their political leaders, who had
repeatedly assured them that there would be no change in the form of
government and, on July 4th, 1776, they felt that this confidence had
been betrayed.
It is not my purpose to follow up the details of the bitter
war that followed or to discuss the ultimate advantage or disadvantage
of that bloody conflict to the contending parties. In our present
examination of the events which followed the Declaration of Inde-
pendence we are interested only in those whose loyalty to the British
connection would not permit them to take up arms in a cause that
meant the severance of the ties hallowed by many sacred associations.
Their detractors argue that it was purely a matter of sentiment and
that it was to their interest to fall into line and assist in overthrowing
British rule. The last proposition is a debatable one into which we will
not enter. As to the former, it has only to be proposed as an argu-
ment to be at once dismissed, for the moment that we discard sentiment
as a mainspring of human activity we destroy the home, patriotism,
friendship, and all in life worth living for. The finer sensibilities of the
Loyalists were wounded when the General Congress cast to the winds
their former professed allegiance to Great Britain, and insult was added
to injury when an alliance was sought with France. Tame submission
to the new order of things by those who had been taught from their
infancy to respect the ideals of British connection would have been more
jl os ; ; a ‘ ; ‘ ; 7
a : Ae , ‘ | ‘
Pe =) TT . pi, wy Ser ee
22 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
humiliating than surrender to the demands of King George and his
Parliament.
If Congress had adhered to the principles which they had
advocated up to the secret session of July, 1776, the colonists would
have presented an unbroken front and with the assistance of their sym-
pathizers in England would have carried their point and driven from
power a corrupt government; but having committed a breach of faith by
declaring for independence, they not only stultified themselves but stig-
matized their supporters in the British Parliament and House of Lords
as accomplices in their design to sever the tie with the motherland. They
could well afford to be tolerant to the Loyalists of America, even if the
latter chose to enlist under the standard of their King but, as we shall
presently see, those who consistently remained true to their principles
were branded as traitors and exposed to the severest penalties.
The framers of the Declaration of Independence gave first place to
the following articles of their professed creed: “That all men are creat-
ed equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
No sooner had they proclaimed these self-evident truths, than they pro-
ceeded to disregard the inalienable rights of those who were in every
respect their equals and to enact cruel laws aimed directly against the
life, liberty, and happiness of their fellow colonists. No one has pre-
sumed to belittle the respectability and social standing of the large min-
ority, men of wealth and unimpeachable character, who could not and
would not enlist in a cause at variance with their convictions and repug-
nant to the traditions of their forefathers. The legislatures of various
colonies placed upon their statute books the most stringent laws imposing
confiscation, banishment, and even the death penalty upon all who showed
a disposition to remain true to the principles so warmly advocated by
their persecutors twelve months before. Besides the general provisions
operating against all who fell within their pale, scores and hundreds
were designated by name, and by a stroke of the pen, without a trial or _
an opportunity to answer the charges preferred against them, were
shorn of their property, rights, and liberty, and proclaimed as outlaws.
In Massachusetts alone three hundred and eight persons, who had fled
for safety from their persecutors, were proscribed and made liable to
arrest, imprisonment, and banishment if they presumed to return to
their own homes, and for a second offence the penalty was death. In
like manner these exponents of the inalienable rights in Pennsylvania,
who had instructed their delegates to Congress utterly to reject any
proposition that might lead to a change in the form of government,
designated by name sixty-two persons as attainted by treason, unless
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 23
within a specified time they surrendered themselves for trial. These
are not isolated cases, but fair examples of the legislation that followed
that famous Declaration beginning with “All men are created equal.”
Upon the slightest pretext, the property of the Loyalists was confiscated
and not unfrequently passed to some prominent official and never
reached the public coffers.
Whatever plea might be advanced for the unnatural treat-
ment of the Loyalists during hostilities, it would be difficult
to find an excuse for continuing the persecution after the conclusion
of the war. During the negotiations for peace the welfare of the Loyalists
was frequently under consideration. The Americans, having attained
their end, could well afford to be generous towards all those who had
differed from them, and one would scarcely expect to find it necessary
for the British Commissioners to urge some degree of leniency in pro-
viding for a general amnesty to the Loyalists and compensation for the
property that had been confiscated. The Americans suggested no techni-
cal objections when agreeing, as they did, that there should be no future
confiscations nor persecutions and that all pending prosecutions should
be discontinued ; yet, while assuming jurisdiction to embody these terms
in a treaty of peace, they claimed that neither the Commissioners nor
Congress had power to provide for restitution of the property that had
been confiscated.
The outcome of the prolonged conferences was a_ provi-
sion that Congress was to recommend to the several States that
indemnity should be granted to the Loyalists, and with no further guar-
antee than that, the Loyalists were left to the tender mercies of their
persecutors. No colony suffered quite as much from the depredations
of the British troops as South Carolina, yet, when peace was concluded,
it was the only State to grant indemnity to the Loyalists and to receive
them again into full citizenship. All the other States continued to pur-
sue them with relentless fury. This uncompromising hostility towards
their former citizens is tersely described in Sabine’s “Biography of the
American Loyalists.” “At the peace, justice and good policy both
required a general amnesty and the revocation of the Acts of disability
and banishment, so that only those who had been guilty of flagrant
crimes should be excluded from becoming citizens. Instead of this,
however, the State legislatures generally continued in a course of hos-
tile action, and treated the conscientious and pure, and the unprincipled
and corrupt with the same indiscrimination as they had done during the
struggle. In some parts of the country there really appears to have been
a determination to place these misguided but then humbled men beyond
the pale of human sympathy.”
A Pi at ; a © 1 , ie oy e>
ree. -2 RR pe > _ ys j ae ervey. we
24 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
In order that we may form a proper estimate of the character of the
first permanent settlers in this county I cannot do better than supple-
ment the foregoing quotation from an American author with the testi-
mony of the leading statesmen of Great Britain to whom the Loyalists,
in their extremity, were forced to appeal for assistance.
_Lord North, who was Prime Minister during the War, in speak-
ing of the Loyalists, said: “I cannot but lament the fate of those un-
happy men, who, I conceive, were in general, objects of our gratitude
and protection. The Loyalists from their attachments, surely had some
claim to our affection. ........ I cannot but feel for men thus sacri-
ficed for their bravery and principles—men who have sacrificed the
dearest possessions of the human heart. They have exposed their lives,
endured an age of hardship, deserted their interests, forfeited their
possessions, lost their connections, and ruined their families in our
cause.”
Mr. Burke said: “At any rate it must be agreed on all hands that
a vast number of Loyalists had been deluded by this country and had
risked everything in our cause; to such men the nation owed protection,
and its honour was pledged for their security at all hazards.”
Mr. Sheridan execrated the treatment of those unfortunate
men who, without the least notice taken of their civic and religious
rights, were handed over as subjects to a power that would not fail to
take vengeance on them for the zeal and attachment to the religion and
government of this country.”
Sir Peter Burrell said: “The fate of the Loyalists claimed the com-
passion of every human breast. These helpless, forlorn men, abandoned
by the ministers of a people on whose justice, gratitude, and humanity
they had the best founded claims, were left at the mercy of a Congress
highly irritated against them.”
It was in language such as this that both Houses of Parliament
recognized the sacrifices that the Loyalists had made for the motherland
and admitted their liability to make good to some extent the losses that
had been sustained. To remain in a community that denied them the
rights of citizenship was out of the question. During and after the war
of the Revolution, it is estimated that no less than 30,000 were driven
from their homes and settled in the Bahamas, Florida, the British West
Indies, and Canada. Large numbers were conveyed to Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick, so many indeed, that the British commander of New
York bethought himself of finding some other outlet for the hundreds
still to be provided for and turned his attention to Upper Canada.
Entertaining serious doubts whether that part of.the country was habit-
able, he applied for information to Michael Grass, who during the
.
(
t
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 25
French war had been a prisoner for two or three years at Fort Fron-
tenac. His informant assured him that the territory about the fort and
along the Bay of Quinte was a desirable location for a colony and,
thanks to Mr. Grass’ favourable report, five vessels were fitted out,
filled with refugees, and conducted by him to the northern wilderness.
They: sailed from New York on September 8th, 1783, and arrived at
Quebec on October 8th, and proceeded to Sorel where they wintered in
tents and hastily constructed cabins. Another common route from New
York, followed by the Loyalists after the war, was up the Hudson River
to the mouth of the Mohawk River, a few miles north of Albany, thence
up the Mohawk and Wood Creek to a portage leading to Oneida Lake.
From this lake they entered the Oswego River which carried them to
Lake Ontario, whence they proceeded to Kingston, the Bay of Quinte,
Niagara, or Queenston. Others again followed the old Champlain route
down the Richelieu River and thence to Sorel. It will be remembered
that although hostilities ceased on September 20th, 1783, the British did
not give up possession of New York until the 25th of November, which
date has since been commemorated as “Evacuation Day.” This city
naturally had become a rallying point for the Loyalists, 12,000 of whom
sailed in the month of September from this port for the Bahamas, Nova
Scotia, and Canada.
The incidents in connection with the emigration of many of the
first Loyalists who settled in this country have fortunately been pre-
served in an interview with the late John Grass, of the township of
Kingston, son of the Michael Grass before referred to. His statement
is as follows: “My father had been a prisoner at Frontenac (now Kings-
ton) in the old French war, and at the commencement of the American
Revolution he resided on a farm on the borders of the North River,
about thirty miles from New York. Being solicited by General Her-
kimer to take a captain’s commission in the American service he replied
sternly and promptly that he had sworn allegiance to our King, mean-
ing George the Third, and could not violate his oath and serve against
him.
“For this he .was obliged to fly from his home and take refuge
within New York, under British protection. His family had soon to
follow him, being driven from their home, which by the enemy was
dilapidated and broken up. They continued in that city till the close of
the war, living on their resources as best they could. On the return of
peace, the Americans having gained their independence, there was no
longer any home for the fugitive Loyalists of which the city was full;
and the British Governor was much at a loss for a place to settle them.
Many had retreated to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick; but this was a
Ne ee } .
er <a ;
a ;
Rt ms» he, en eee 9 gi ‘
26 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
desperate resort, and their immense numbers made it difficult to find a
home for them all even then. In the meantime, the Governor, in his
perplexity, having heard that my father had been a prisoner among the
French at Frontenac, sent for him and said: ‘Mr. Grass, I understand
that you have been at Frontenac, in Canada. Pray tell me what sort
of a country it is? Can people live there?’ My father replied: ‘Yes, your
Excellency, I was there a prisoner of war, and from what I saw I think
it is a fine country and that people might live very well.’ ‘Oh! Mr.
Grass,’ exclaims the Governor, ‘how glad I am to hear that, for the sake
of these poor Loyalists. As they cannot all go to Nova Scotia, and I am
at a loss how to provide for them, will you, Mr. Grass, undertake to
lead thither as many as may choose to accompany you? If so, I will
furnish a conveyance by Quebec, and rations for you all until such time
as you may be able to provide for yourselves.’ My father requested his
Excellency to allow him three days to make up his mind. This was
granted, and accordingly at the expiration of the three days, my father
went to the Governor and said he would undertake it. Notices were then
posted up through the city, calling for all that would go to Frontenac
to enroll their names with Mr. Grass; so in a short time the company
of men, women, and children was completed, a ship provided and fur-
nished, and off they started for the unknown and far distant regions,
leaving the homes and friends of their youth, with all their endearing
recollections behind them.
“The first season they got no further than Sorel, in Lower
Canada, where they were obliged to erect log huts for the
winter. Next spring they took boats, and proceeding up the St.
I,awrence, at length reached Frontenac and pitched their tents on
Indian Point, where the marine docks of Kingston now. stand. Here
they awaited the surveying of the lands, which was not accomplished so
as to be ready for location before July. In the meantime several other
companies had arrived by different routes under their respective leaders,
who were all awaiting the completing of the surveys. The Governor
also, who by this time had himself come to Quebec, paid them a visit,
and riding a few miles along the lake shore on a fine day, exclaimed to
my father: ‘Why, Mr. Grass, you have indeed got a fine country! I am
really glad to find it so.’ While the several companies were together
waiting for the survey some would say to my father: “The Governor will
not give you the first choice of the townships but will prefer Sir John
Johnson and his company because he is a great man.’ But my father
replied that he did not believe that, for if the Governor should do so
he should feel himself injured and would leave the country, as he was
the first man to mention it to the Governor in New York and to pro-
ceed thither with his company for settlement.
oe >
ae = => Se
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 27
“At length the time came, in July, for the townships to be given
out. The Governor having assembled the companies before him, called
for Mr. Grass, and said: “Now, you were the first person to mention
this fine country and have been here formerly as a prisoner of war.
You must have the first choice. The townships are numbered first,
second, third, fourth, and fifth, Which do you choose? My father
says: ‘The first township (Kingston).’ Then the Governor says to Sir.
John Johnson: ‘Which do you choose for your company?’ He replies:
‘The second township (Ernesttown).’ To Colonel Rogers: ‘Which do
you choose?’ He says: “The third township (Fredericksburgh).’ To
Major Vanalstine: ‘Which do you choose?’ He replies: “The fourth
township (Adolphustown).’ Then Colonel McDonnell, with his company,
got the fifth township (Marysburgh). So after this manner the first
settlement of Loyalists in Canada was made.
“But before leaving, the Governor very considerately remarked to
my father: ‘Now, Mr. Grass, it is too late in the season to put in any
crops. What can you do for food?’ My father replied: ‘If they were
furnished with turnip seed they might raise some turnips.’ ‘Very well,’
said the Governor, ‘that you shall have.’ Accordingly from Montreal
he sent some seed, and each man taking a handful thereof, they cleared
a spot of ground in the centre of where the town of Kingston now
stands, and raised a fine crop of turnips which served for food the
ensuing winter with the Government rations.’’*
The point of embarkation upon the last stage of the journey was
from Lachine, where flat-bottomed boats were constructed for the
purpose. They were heavy and clumsy affairs capable of holding four
or five families with their effects, and when ascending the rapids or
against a swift current, the boatmen, sometimes wading up to their
waists in water, hauled them along by means of a rope attached to the
bow. Although the Surveyor-general had received instructions in 1783
to lay out the townships for the reception of the settlers, they arrived
some weeks before they could be located. On June 16th, 1784, a mem-
orable day in this county, Major Vanalstine with his band of refugees
landed at Adolphustown near the site of the present U. E. L. Monu-
ment. Each family had been provided with a tent capable of accom-
modating eight or ten persons. Sufficient clothing for three years, of a
coarse but suitable quality, had been given to each. To each two fam-
ilies was given one cow, and the Government had been liberal in the
* The late William Kingsford, in his ‘‘ History o: Canada,” Vol. VII, page 218-9,
attempts to disprove this story, but his reasoning is quite iaconclusive, and there is no
reason to doubt the correctness of the story given by Captain Grass. Kingsford’s note
at most proves that a certain amount of friction arose between Captain Grass and
Governor Sir Frederick Haldimand.
28 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
distribution of seed grain and tools, but of the latter the axe was ill-
suited for the purpose of felling trees, being the short-handled ship axe
intended for quite a different purpose. As the survey was not complete
at the time of their landing, they pitched their tents upon the shore in
groups until the allotments were made, when they dispersed to their
several locations and the battle with the forest began. The concessions
were laid out in lots of 200 acres each; four lots covered a mile in
frontage, and every two or three miles a strip forty feet in width was
reserved for a cross-road. The surveyors did their work so hurriedly
that in later years there were found to be many inaccuracies which led
to confusion and litigation and were the cause of a great deal of trouble
and bad feeling.
As early as the month of July, 1783, the King, declaring himself
desirous of encouraging his loyal subjects in the United States of
America to take up and improve lands in the then Province of Quebec,
and of testifying his appreciation of the bravery and loyalty of the
royal forces in the Province, issued instructions to the Governor-in-chief
to direct the Surveyor-general to admeasure and lay out such a quan-
tity of land as he deemed necessary for that purpose, and to allot such
parts thereof as might be applied for by any of his loyal subjects, non-
commissioned officers, and private men in the following proportions,
that is to say:
To every master of a family, one hundred acres, and fifty acres
for each person of which his family shall consist.
To every single man, fifty acres.
To every non-commissioned officer in Quebec, two hundred
acres. .
To every private man of the force, one hundred acres, and
every person in his family, fifty acres.
The same instructions contained a notification of the purchase of the
Seigniory of Sorel with a request that all undisposed-of lands be laid out
into small allotments and distributed among the reduced members of
the forces and other loyal subjects, as might by the Governor be judged
the most conducive to their interests and the more speedy settlement of
the Seigniory. These instructions account for the general muster of the
refugees at Sorel before ascending the St. Lawrence for the Western
townships.
The townships having been assigned to the several companies,
as described by Mr. Grass, the first “drawings” took place in 1784. The
Surveyor superintended the process, which was impartially conducted by
placing in a hat small pieces of paper, upon which were written the
numbers of the lots to be distributed. Each applicant “drew” out a
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 29
‘piece of paper, and the Surveyor, with a map of the township spread out
before him, wrote the name of the person drawing the number upon the
corresponding number upon the map, and the locatee was given a certi-
ficate or “location ticket” as it was commonly called, entitling him to a
patent of the lot or part of lot so drawn by him. As provided in the
King’s instructions, a record of every allotment and subsequent aliena-
tion was kept in the office of the Receiver-general, which was the only
land registry office in Canada at the time. It was under this system
that the drawings took place in 1784, with the result that 434 of Jessup’s
Corps received their location tickets for Ernesttown, 310 of the King’s
Royal Regiment of New York and Colonel Rogers with 229 men located
in Fredericksburgh, and Major Vanalstine and his party and some of
Rogers’ men, about 400 in all, became the first settlers in Adolphustown.
In addition to the plan of allotment referred to in the instructions of
1783, every Loyalist field officer was to receive 1,000 acres, every chap-
lain 700, and every subaltern, staff, or warrant officer, 500 acres. The
excess over the ordinary allotment was not to be in one block, and not
more than 200 acres were to be drawn by one person in a front conces-
sion. These regulations prevailed until superseded by instructions of a
similar character issued in 1786 authorizing an additional grant of 200
acres, as a sort of bonus for good behaviour, to each settler who, by his
conduct, had given such proof of his loyalty, decent deportment, and
thrift in improving the land already received by him, as to warrant the
presumption that he would become a good and profitable subject.
On July 24th, 1788, the Governor-general divided what was after-
wards called Upper Canada into four districts, namely: Lunenburgh, from
the River Ottawa to Gananoque; Mecklenburgh, from Gananoque to the
River Trent; Nassau, from the Trent to Long Point; and Hesse, from
Long Point to Lake St. Clair. At the same time a judge and sheriff
were appointed to administer justice in each of these Districts, and the
Dutch names soon gave way to the more acceptable English titles,
the Eastern District, the Midland District, the Home District, and the
Western Djstrict respectively. Early in the following year the system
of parcelling out the land was improved by appointing in each District
a Land Board to receive and report upon applications. Each Board
was to consist of not less than three members, whose tefm of office was
to expire on May Ist, 1791, unless continued by appointment. Regula-
tions calculated to facilitate the faithful performance of the duties of
the Board in receiving and adjudicating upon applications presented to
them and in preserving convenient records of the same were prepared
by the Governor-in-Council, together with approved forms to be used by
_ them in their respective offices.
30 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON |
In November the Governor-general found opportunity for fur-
ther expression of the gratitude of the Crown for the attachment
of the Loyalists by ordering the Land Boards to take proper steps
for preserving a register of the names of all persons who adhered
to the unity of the Empire and joined the Royal Standard in
America before the Treaty of Separation in 1783, as it was his wish to
put a “Mark of Honour” upon the families in order that their posterity
might be discriminated from future settlers. To the sons and daughters
of all such he ordered that a lot of 200 acres be assigned upon their
attaining the full age of twenty-one years. One member of the Land
Board for the Mecklenburgh District was the Hon. Richard Cartwright.
Another was the Rev. Dr. John Stuart, the founder of the Church of
England in Upper Canada and Chaplain of the first Legislative Council.
He was tendered the commission of Judge of the Court of Common
Pleas, which honourable position he declined in order that he might
devote his talents to his holy office.
In 1791 was passed the Constitutional Act, dividing the Province of
Quebec into two separate provinces to be known respectively as Lower —
Canada and Upper Canada. General John Graves Simcoe was appointed
the first Lieutenant-governor of the western Province. The new Lieu-
tenant-governor by a proclamation bearing date July 16th, 1792, divided
the new Province into counties, among them being the counties of Ad-
dington and Lennox; at the same time he superseded the old District
Land Boards by appointing County Land Boards. For this purpose
Addington, Lennox, Hastings, and Prince Edward were grouped to-
gether, and the Land Board consisted of Peter Vanalstine, Hazelton
Spencer, Alexander Fisher, Archibald McDonnell, and Joshua Booth.
It was at this time our county assumed its present name. The name
Lennox is derived from Charles Lennox, third Duke of Richmond, who
at the coronation of King George III carried the sceptre with the dove.
He was ambassador extraordinary to the court of France in 1765 and
Secretary of State in 1766. Addington was named after Henry Adding-
ton, Viscount Sidmouth, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1789
to 1791, afterwards Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister
of Great Britain.
The new order of things was short-lived, for in November, 1794,
the Executive Council of the Province abolished the County Boards and
resolved that thereafter all petitions for crown lands be made to the
Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council. A simple form of procedure was
adopted in the case of intending settlers. Any person professing the
Christian religion and capable of manual labour could present himself to
a magistrate residing in the county, who, being notified of his proper
a ”
oe ‘ett ee
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 31
qualification to be admitted to the possession of lands within the Province,
furnished him with a recommendation to the local deputy surveyor, who
assigned him his location, upon payment of the usual fees of £4, 9s. and
6d., of which sum £4 was paid for the title deed when the patent was
granted. It was not, however, until 1795 that the grants or patents to the
allotted lands were actually issued and then only to such as produced their
tickets or certificates. Originally the tickets were transferable by endorse-
ment, but so many abuses crept into the practice that the Government
and improvident andintervened for the protection of the thoughtless
decided that patents should be issued only in the name of the original
locatee.
The land jobber was then, as now, much in evidence, and when the
patents were granted it was not unfrequently found that large tracts
passed into the hands of single individuals, while others at the begin-
ning of their career in the wilderness were forced to begin life’ anew
as the servants of their more provident companions. Some parted with
their holding for a pint of rum or some other trivial consideration, and
others, being so unfortunate as to draw a lot in the third or fourth con-
cession, regarded the location as too undesirable to be of any real value.
As there were no roads the lots upon the water-front were most highly
prized, and the locatee of land which could not be reached by boat, would
willingly exchange his 100 acres in the interior of the township for a
much smaller quantity upon the bay. The Government had supplied
them with a number of small boats, they made more for themselves,
and the common means of travel was by the water routes, as each family
had its dinghy. punt, or dug-out.
The so-called pioneers in our prairie provinces who are to-day car-
ried within a few miles of their locations by a comfortable colonist
sleeper and have merely to break the soil of the virgin prairie in
order to secure a harvest in a few months’ time, know little of
the difficulties experienced by our forefathers, who, even after leav-
ing Sorel, tugged at the oars and rope for weeks before reaching
the site of their future homes, where a more stubborn foe, the
forest, had to be overcome before they could engage in any form of hus-
bandry. But men who had sacrificed all their worldly possessions and
endured bitter persecution for the principles they cherished were not
to be checked in their progress by any ordinary obstacle. With axe in
hand they advanced against the last barrier. One man could not accom-
plish much single-handed, so with that neighbourly spirit which is to
this day so characteristic of our farming community, they organized
“bees,” thereby imitating those industrious little insects, which by their
united efforts successfully accomplish what would be an impossibility
for the single individual.
32 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
A suitable site for the log cabin having been selected, they set
to work with a will. “Round logs (generally of bass-wood) roughly
notched together at the corners, and piled one above the other to
the height of seven or eight feet, constituted the walls. Openings
for a door, and one small window designed for four lights of glass,
seven by nine, were cut out, the spaces between the logs were chinked with
small splinters, and carefully plastered outside and inside with clay for
mortar. Several straight poles were laid lengthwise of the building, on
the walls, to serve as supports for the roof. This was composed of strips
of elm bark, four feet in length by two or three feet in width, in layers
overlapping each other and fastened to the poles by withes, with a suffi-
cient slope to the back. This formed a roof which was proof against wind
and weather. An ample hearth made of flat stone was then laid out,
and a fire back of field stone, or small boulders, rudely built, was car-
ried up as high as the wall. Above this the chimney was formed of
round poles, notched together and plastered with mud. The floor was
of the same material as the walls, only that the logs were split in two,
and flattened so as to make a tolerably even surface. As no boards could
be had to make a door, until they could be sawn out by the whip saw,
a blanket suspended from the inside for some time took its place. By
and by four little panes of glass were stuck into a rough sash and the
shanty was complete.’’*
While the dwelling was in course of construction and before the
chinks were filled with plaster, long poles were placed across the ends
about two feet from the floor, supported by the logs of the side walls.
Across these were stretched thin strips of bass-wood bark, thus form-
ing a platform which was the only bedstead known to our forefathers
.for many years after their arrival. Rude tables and benches hewed out
of the green timber supplied the furniture of their humble abodes.
Before winter set in all were comfortably housed; but the attack upon
the forest continued. The work was slow and tedious, and the ship axe
would be found but a sorry tool by our workmen of to-day. To get rid
of the green timber and remove the stumps and underbush was no easy
task. They had at first no oxen or horses, and all work had to be done
by hand. ‘To facilitate the clearing process the trees were killed by
girdling them about the base and sometimes, at great risk of destroying
their homes, fire was employed. The trees when felled were cut into
convenient lengths, rolled by hand into large heaps, and the torch
applied.
Among the settlers were many men not accustomed to manual
labour, but old and young, without distinction of rank or age, joined in
* Canniff's Settlement of Upper Canada, page 185
—
a fe )
yp —- By ISAAC BROCK, Ejguire, Prefident admin-
iftcring the Government of the Province of Up-
“eng - per Canada, and Major-General C ommanding
, ths Majefly’s Forces therein, &c. Ke. &e:
PE . 2 hr ; ;
0 ooo Larscallare fie Jour f Carmdone
se pSs MBL. t Bistucche big cae),
WV ser EAS by an Ad of the Parliament ot this Province, passed in the Forty-
_ _ fourth year of ilis Majetty’s Reign, intituled, * An A@ forthe better securing this
© Province against jall seditious attempts or designs to disturb the tranquillity thereof,”
it is among other things provided, “ That it shall and may be lawful for the Governor,
* Licurenant Governor, or Person administering the Government for the time being, to
** appoint such Person or Persons as may appear to him proper, for the purpose of ar-
“ resting such Person or Persons not having been an Inhabitant or Inhabitants of this
« Province for the space of Six Months preceding the date of his Warrant, or not ha-
te ving taken the Oath of Allegiance to our Sovercign Lord the King, who by words or
** aflions, or other behaviour or condutt, hath or have endeavoured, or hath or have
* given just’cause to suspect that he, she, or they, is or are about to endeavour to alienate
“ the minds of His Majesty's Subjeéts of this Province from His Person or Government, per
“or in any wise witha seditious intent to disturb the tranquillity thereof.” Now
KNOW YE, that I ISAAC BROCK, Esquire, President, and Major-General Com-
mangng His Majefty’s Forces within the said Province, by virtue of the powers so vested
in me under the authority of the before recited A@, have appointed and deputed, and dé
by these Presents appoint and depute you the said Qofzy, aie nD
[tes Sour ste 7 Cirmudore, ACTUBEA SD Birslateks—
—
42 .
SD prey tin rk em ate
to carry into Execution the several Provisions in the said before recited A@ contained—
striGly conforming yourself in every particular thereto.
ro eee Given under my Hand and Seal, at ay at the Government House, at York.
; this > Sestarrty Stren Vd day of AY IF At oo ae
in the year of Our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and Twe ve, and of
za tice:
His Majesty's Reign, the Fifty-second. c Sf se
: Ps =
a E : ly Pn ee
By His Honor's Command, Nifth il Joye
A COMMISSION FROM SIR ISSAC BROCK.
MILLS ON THE APPANEE RIVER FROM THE DRAWING BY MRS. SIMCOE. 1795.
THE MACPHERSON MILL AT NAPANEE.
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 33
the general onslaught, working early and late. With aching bones, but
buoyant spirits, they gathered about the open fireplaces during the long
winter evenings and recounted, but with no expressiom of regret, the
suffering their loyalty had brought upon them. Hard as was their
lot, they rejoiced in the freedom of their wilderness homes. Day after
day the sturdy Loyalists plied the axe; little by little the forest yielded
and the spring of 1785 witnessed a wonderful change. The bright sun-
shine revealed here and there small clearings covered with heaps of
charred logs, unyielding stumps, and masses of tangled underbrush. In
the centre was a rude cabin which would compare unfavourably with
that which had sheltered their oxen in the south. A few ploughs had
been supplied them but there were no draft animals to hitch before
them and, even if there had been, little use could have been made of
the plough during the first year or two. The cleared spots were small,
many stumps and roots still encumbered the soil, and the spade was the
only instrument of cultivation. The main staples of food were Indian
corn and wild rice. In a few localities portable mills for grinding the
grain had been furnished by the Government, rude contrivances, to be
turned by hand, like a coffee-mill, but there were few if any in this
county, and the settlers were forced to resort to the primitive method of
placing the grain upon a smooth flat rock and pounding it with an axe
or stone, until it was reduced to a powder. This soon gave way to the
“hominy block” or bowl hollowed out in a hard-wood stump and cap-
able of holding a bushel or more. This possessed the advantage that it
held more and that the grain could be more easily kept in place while
it was pounded with a heavy wooden pestle known as a “plumper.”
Sometimes a cannon-ball attached to a long sweep took the place of a
pestle.
7 The pumpkin in our day serves two important ends, far removed
from each other. By far the greater quantity is fed to our cattle and a
few only are reserved for the old-fashioned but most palatable dessert,
the “pumpkin pie.” But our forefathers and the Indians raised it more
for table use and served it up in many styles. The “pumpkin loaf”
appears to have been relegated to the past, its nearest survival being
“Johnnie cake,’” now served up in individual cakes and disguised under
the name of “corn meal gems.” The pumpkin was mixed with the
Indian meal, spiced, rolled into a small loaf, baked in the open oven,
broken into pieces, and spread with butter, if by good fortune the larder
contained any, or was eaten with maple syrup,—an important article of
food which could be had at the very doors for the taking,—or sweetened
in the making by adding a liberal allowance of maple sugar. Game
and fish, as a rule, were plentiful, so that with the rations supplied by
34 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
the government there was a sufficient supply of plain but wholesome
food to meet the ordinary demands. Cattle, horses, and pigs were
gradually introduced, but, owing to the depredations of wolves, it was
many years before sheep could be raised to advantage. Dishes were
very scarce but, occasionally, we still run across a highly prized U. E.
L. heirloom, a tea-cup or plate handed down from generation to gen-
eration. This want was at first supplied by wooden dishes which the
handy craftsman whittled out of the fine-grained wood’ of the poplar.
These were gradually replaced by more durable pewter articles, intro-
duced by the Yankee pedlars.
In the matter of dress, the beau of the last quarter of the eighteenth
century far outshone in his gorgeous array the dude of the twentieth.
Hanging on a wooden peg in the corner of the log cabin might be seen
the faded blue damask frock-coat, with its high rolling collar and velvet
lining. Carefully stowed away in the family chest was the white satin
waist-coat, and the close fitting black satin knee breeches, the white silk
stockings, and the red morocco slippers, surmounted with huge but
highly prized silver buckles. What a sensation would such an attire
create upon our streets to-day! The occasions for making use of such
finery were rare indeed in this new settlement. The ordinary costume
was made from the coarse cloth and Indian blankets supplied by the
government; but the most common and serviceable garments were
made from deer skins and were worn by both sexes. As soon as they
could spare the land for the purpose flax and hemp were grown, and a
coarse linen was woven upon the home-made loom, which became an
indispensable part of the equipment of every cabin. Woollen garments,
the most serviceable of all, were scarce until the danger from the wolves
had been sufficiently reduced to allow the keeping of sheep. Soap was a
luxury, and the week’s washing could be accomplished only through a
weak solution of lye, and the records inform us of the embarrassing
experience of a young woman who made use of this same liquid in
cleaning her only garment, a suit of buckskin. To’ her amazement her
leather gown shrivelled away to infantile proportions and she was
forced to conceal herself in the potato pit beneath the floor until her
mother came to her rescue.
Among the manuscripts given by the late Dr. Canniff to the Len-
nox and Addington Historical Society is a copy of a “Testimonial of Mr.
Roger Bates” whose grandfather originally settled in the Bay of Quinte
district, but afterwards removed to the township of Clark where he
died “at the premature age of 84.” As his grandmother lived to be
ninety-six Mr. Bates believed that his grandfather, in the natural
course of events, would have lived to reach his hundredth year but for
A i. a ’ 0
THE COMING OF THE LOYALISTS 35
a fright he received at a fire, which hastened his end. In writing of
wearing apparel he says: “Skins of animals they obtained from the
Indians who at that period were very numerous throughout the coun-
try. With those skins my grandmother made all sorts of useful and
last (lasting) dresses which were most comfortable for a country life,
and for going through the bush made leather petticoats for herself and
girls; as they could not be torn by the brambles, they made capital
dresses—made some for the boys, and at night were extremely comfort-
able for bed covers. There were no tanners in those days. Shoes and
boots were made of the same useful material.” Dame Fashion had
little to furnish to the young ladies of that day and the young man in
search of a bride was not bewildered by the latest creations of the mil-
liner or the ever-changing fantasies of the dressmaker. Such finery as
they had was obtained from the pack of the pedlar who paid the settle-
ments periodic visits. His stock in trade consisted of an inferior qual-
ity of calico, to be had at a dollar a yard, a piece of book muslin and
another of check for aprons at double that price, a few common shawls,
stockings, and handkerchiefs, and an assortment of ribbons, tape,
needles, pins, and horn combs. His arrival in the neighbourhood was
one of the events of the season, heralded from clearing to clearing, for
he not only supplied many of their wants from his pack, but in the
absence of newspapers and a regular mail service, he was the bearer of
news from the outside world. After displaying his tempting wares
upon the floor and disposing of such coveted articles as the lean purse
of the household could afford to purchase, the family gathered about the
blazing hearth-log to be regaled by the pedlar’s latest experiences in the
far away cities, which some of them in their better days had been wont
to visit. a
36 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
r
CHAPTER III
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS
At the conclusion of the war and before the Loyalists had left the
colonies they organized an agency composed of one delegate from each
State to prepare a statement of their condition and to appeal for com-
pensation to the Government of Great Britain, which they felt had made
very scant provision for their protection by relying solely upon the
promise of the Peace Commission to recommend to the several State
Legislatures that they be indemnified for their losses. We have seen
how the persecution was continued just as relentlessly after the war,
which would almost justify the conclusion that the American Commis-
sioners at no time had any serious intention of taking the proper steps
to see that their recommendation was put into effect. The Committee
appointed by the Loyalists prepared a tract entitled ‘““The Case and Claim
of American Loyalists impartially Stated and Considered” in which
they forcibly set forth their condition and cited precedents which would
warrant the Imperial Government in taking action in their behalf. This
pitiful prayer for help presented the following unanswerable argument:
“His Majesty and the two Houses of Parliament having thought it
necessary, as the price of peace, or to the safety and interest of the
Empire, or from some other motive of public convenience, to ratify the
Independence of America without securing any restitution whatever to
the Loyalists, they conceive that the nation is bound, as well by the
fundamental laws of society as by the invariable and external principles
of natural justice to make them compensation.” ‘The British Govern-
ment was not unmindful of the claim of those who in its behalf had
dared and suffered so much. At the opening of the session of Parlia-
ment following the presentation of this petition of the Loyalists the
King in the speech from the throne said: “I have ordered inquiry to be
made into the application of the sum to be voted in support of the Ameri-
can sufferers; and I trust you will agree with me that a due and gener-
ous attention ought to be ‘shown to those who have relinquished their
properties or professions from motives of loyalty to me or attachment
to the mother country.”
Five Commissioners were appointed to investigate and report upon
the claims, and the time for applying for relief was in the first instance
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 37
limited to March 25th, 1784, but it was from time to time extended until
1789, and the final report was not presented and finally disposed of until
1790. The American Peace Commissioners had blundered in making no
provision for restitution by those who had profited by the confiscation,
a blunder which in the end cost them the loss of tens of thousands of
their best citizens, with a corresponding advantage to Canada. The
Commissioners appointed to adjust the claims also committed a serious
blunder in imposing onerous and unreasonable conditions upon the
claimants. They were disposed to view the Loyalists rather as sup-
plicants for charity than as British subjects demanding British justice.
In commenting upon the procedure adopted the late Rev. Dr. Ryer-
son, who gave the subject closer study than any other Canadian writer,
said: “Every claimant was required to furnish proof of his loyalty, and of
every species of loss for which he claimed compensation: and if any
case of perjury or fraud were believed to have been practised, the claim-
ant was at once cut off from his whole claim. The rigid rules which
the Commissioners laid down and enforced in regard to claimants,
examining each claimant and the witnesses in his behalf separately and
apart, caused much dissatisfaction and gave the proceeding more the
character of an Inquisition than of Inquiry. It seemed to place the
claimants in the position of criminals on whom rested the burden of
proof to establish their own innocence and character, rather than that
of Loyalists who had faithfully served their King and country, and
lost their homes and possessions in doing so. Very many, probably the
large majority of claimants, could not prove the exact value of each
species of loss which they had sustained years before, in houses, goods,
herds of cattle, fields with their crops and produce, woods with their
timber, etc., etc. In such a proceeding the most unscrupulous would
be likely to fare the best, and the most scrupulous and conscientious the
worst; and it is alleged that many fake losses were allowed to persons
who had suffered no loss, while many other sufferers received no com-
pensation, because they had not the means of bringing witnesses from
America to prove their losses, in addition to their own testimony.”
As the Commissioners insisted in every instance upon the personal
appearance of the claimant and attached little weight to any testimony
that was not delivered upon oath before themselves, it can readily be
conceived that a very large proportion of the Loyalists were not in a
position to comply with the requirements of the Commissioners, and the
result was that only about one third of those who emigrated to Canada
received any compensation and the proportion in the remote part of the
country was even less. Even so, however, the Government of Great
Britain expended over $16,000,000 in satisfying their claims. In addi-
38 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
4
tion to the grants of money there were the land grants, to which refer-
ence has already been made, and the distribution of clothing, tools, and
provisions which were dealt out impartially to all refugees. The rations
were such as were allowed to every private soldier and were regularly
conveyed in bateaux to each township where depots were established
and placed in charge of some trusted refugee. ©
During the first few years of the settlement the only produce that
brought them in any return was the potash made from the ashes. They
bartered among themselves, and a very small portion of their roots and
grain reached the military post at Kingston, which was the extent of
their marketing. There was very little money among them and that
was usually carried away by the itinerant pedlar. Promissory notes
and I.0.U.’s passed current in the neighbourhood until worn out with
usage, when they were replaced with fresh ones.
The letters U. E. L. which we see after the names of some of the
earliest settlers are not of local origin or applied in any haphazard
fashion to all the pioneers; but represented the honorary title con-
ferred only upon those who had taken their stand for the unity of the
Empire and had allied themselves with the Royalists before the Treaty
of Separation in 1783. As has been pointed out the Executive Council
of the Province of Quebec did, in, 1799, at the instance of the Goyvernor-
General, direct the Land Boards to register the names of all that were
entitled to have the “Mark of Honour” put upon them, but the direction
appears to have been wholly overlooked or neglected. Governor Sim-
coe had a passion for hereditary titles and one of his dreams was to
build up a Canadian aristocracy, so in 1796 he revived the idea of con-
ferring titles upon the class pointed out by Lord Dorchester, and by
proclamation directed the magistrates of Upper Canada to ascertain
under oath and register the names of all such persons, which was
accordingly done, and from that time they were known as United Empire
Loyalists and entitled as an honorary distinction to place after their
names the letters U. E. L.
It must not be supposed that all the settlers in the front townships of
this county came in one group in 1784. The greater number came then,
settling in the first five townships, but for many years after others came
trudging through the State of New York by different routes to join
their old comrades on this side of the lake. Every newcomer received
a grant of land and set to work to clear and cultivate it; but these later
arrivals were not prepared to provide for themselves as were their more
advanced neighbours who had preceded them. The Government had
arranged to supply rations for three years following the arrival of the
large contingent in June, 1784, and in accordance with this original
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 89
design, which, it was hoped would give the colony ample time to become
self-supporting, no provision was made for supplying their wants from
the Government Commissariat after the expiration of that period.
A number of circumstances combined to threaten the extinction of
the colony. The belated arrivals had consumed what they had brought
with them, and some few, unskilled in pioneer life and farming, had not
made very substantial progress in their clearing operations, and a current
report appears to have gained credence among most of them to the
effect that the King would continue to deal out the provisions for an-
other year or so at least. By some misfortune or bad management the
Commissary Department not only failed to forward supplies to the set-
tlers, as had been done in former years, but even the rations for those
in the public service who depended solely upon the Government for the
means of subsistence were not forthcoming either. To add to the dis-
tress, the season of 1787 proved to be one of those exceptional non-pro-
ductive years when the soil yielded but a very meagre return for the
seed and labour bestowed upon it, and, when winter set in, the disheart-
ened colonists found themselves face to face with a threatened famine.
The strictest economy was exercised in dealing out what little provision
was on hand. Those who had laid by a store, paltry though it was,
ungrudgingly shared it with their less fortunate neighbours, and the new
year, 1788, known in their history as the “Hungry Year’ was ushered
in with lamentations instead of the usual happy greetings. They had
been eking out a miserable existence on short allowances ever since it
had been learned that the Government could afford them no relief,
there were several months of winter still ahead of them, and the larders
were almost empty. The bay and rivers teemed with fish but the sur-
face was covered with two feet of ice. Game was plentiful but ammuni-
tion was scarce, and the ingenious snares devised to capture the wild
animals and birds could not supply the ever-increasing demand. Fabulous
prices were offered for food which under ordinary circumstances could
be purchased for a few shillings.
In this connection the late Canniff Haight in an address delivered
at Picton in 1859 said: “Men willingly offered pretty much all they
possessed for food. I could show you one of the finest farms in
Hay Bay that was offered to my grandfather for a half hundred
of flour and refused. A very respectable old lady, whom numbers
of you knew, but who some time since went away to her rest—
whose offspring, some at least, are luxuriating in comfort above the
middle walks of life—was wont in those days to wander away early in
the spring to the woods and gather and eat the buds of the bass-wood,
and then bring an apron or basketful home to the children. Glad they
own
40. HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
were to pluck the rye and barley heads for food as soon as the kernel had
formed; and not many miles from Picton a beef’s bone was passed
from house to house and was boiled again and again in order to extract
some nutriment.’’ Men dug in the frozen ground for roots, and in the
early spring the first signs of vegetation were hailed with joy and the
first green leaves and buds were eagerly sought out and devoured to
allay the pangs of ‘hunger. It is recorded that one family was reduced
to such straits that they lived for two weeks upon the tender leaves of
the beech trees. Others ate the inner bark of certain varieties of trees,
and ransacked the woods to discover the hidden store-houses of the squir-
rels, that they might expropriate the nuts they had laid by for winter con-
sumption. Some of the weak and aged actually died of starvation,
while others were poisoned by eating noxious roots.
As the spring of 1788 advanced the famine was relieved, and the
settlers applied themselves to their ordinary work and soon forgot
the horrors of the “Hungry Year,” or referred to them solely as an
incentive to greater exertion in order that they might avoid a re-
currence of the bitter experiences they had just passed through.
Cast upon their own resources they laboured as men determined
to win; the clearings continued to expand, barns and _ outbuildings
sprang up on all sides to receive the crops and shelter the cattle,
which were being gradually introduced. They felt the need of im-
proving some of the primitive*methods then in vogue, particularly
the old-fashioned “hominy block.” This served its purpose fairly
well in crushing corn, but proved very unsatisfactory when applied
to wheat which required to be ground much finer than the coarser grain
before it could be used to advantage by the good housewife. A mill
had been built by the Government in 1782-3 at Kingston, or more properly
- speaking five or six miles up the Cataraqui River, the first one in
Central Canada before the arrival of the Loyalists; but this was too
far away to be of much service to the inhabitants of the remote parts
of this county. To propel a bateau from Adolphustown to Kingston
necessitated the passing of both the Upper and Lower Gaps where the
waters of Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte join at either end of
Amherst Island, and these, at all times during the season of naviga-
tion, are likely to be pretty rough. The only alternative was to carry
the grist upon the shoulders through the forest or haul it upon a hand
sleigh in the winter. At a moderate estimate, allowing but a few hours
for the miller to do the grinding, the errand could not very well be
accomplished inside of two days, and there would be a certain expense
in procuring lodging for one night at least, unless the settler chose to
do the greater part of his travelling in the night.
i
:
‘<
4
:
ia
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 41
The government recognized these inconveniences, and in order to
overcome them, determined to construct a mill that would better serve
the needs of settlers in this county, and quite naturally chose the site
at Appanea Falls, which afforded the best available water-power. To
Robert Clark, the mill-wright who had built the Kingston mill, was
assigned the task of superintending its erection. It was built of logs.
and roughly squared timbers during the year 1786, and was ready for
operation in 1787 but, owing to the famine and the consequent scarcity
of grain, very little grinding was done until 1788. From an examina-
tion of the account of the articles purchased in connection with the work
it would appear that intoxicating liquor was considered an indispensable
part of the rations to be served upon special occasions such as a raising.
No less than two gallons and three pints of rum were deemed necessary
to keep up the spirits of the workmen at the raising of the saw-mill and
four gallons and one quart when the grist-mill was raised. For nine
years at least, until the building of the mill at Lake-qn-the-Mountain in
1796, this was the only mill in the Midland District west of the one on
the Cataraqui River, and received the grist of all the townships along
the bay, among the patrons being the loyal band of Mohawks in the
township of Tyendinaga. Appanea or Appanee, and finally Napanee,
became the synonym for flour in the Indian tongue, so popular had it
become as the only convenient place where that article could be manu-
factured. This led to the erroneous belief that the town took its name
from the Indian word for flour, while the converse is the case. The
original meaning of the word Appanee is unknown. The mill property
was purchased by the Honourable Richard Cartwright in 1792 and
remained in the family from generation to generation until 1911 when
it was sold to the Seymour Power Company. So popular was the mill
that it could not meet the demands made upon it and, shortly after its
transfer to Mr. Cartwright, he decided to tear it down and build another
with greater capacity, and Robert Clark was again commissioned to do
the work. A new building with three run of stone was speedily com-
pleted, and so well was the work performed that fifteen years later it
was referred to as the best mill in the Province. Mrs. Simcoe, who
accompanied her husband in his journeys through the Province, made a
sketch of it in:1795 which is herewith reproduced.*
Robert Clark, who played such an important part in laying the
foundation of what was to become the county town of Lennox and
* The cut of this sketch published in Mr, J. Ross Robertson's “ Diary of Mrs.
Simcoe,” gives the impression that the mill stood on the left or north bank of the river,
the copyist, evidently mistaking her representation of the falls to the left of the mill for
a portion of the river's bank. The relative positions of the mill, the falls, and the mill-
race in the sketch by Mrs. Simcoe will be more clearly understood by reference to the
___ photograph of the Macpherson mill which is built upon the same site.
G -
. m4 2'¥
¢
Gf ony aegis Ce i Sh ee
Pie)
42 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Addington, was born in Duchess county in the State of New York in
1744. He was a carpenter and mill-wright by trade and owned two
farms of one hundred and one hundred and fifty acres respectively, both
of which were confiscated because of his loyalty to the British standard
during the revolutionary war. He served under General Burgoyne,
Major Jessup, and Captain Sebastian Jones. While engaged under the
Government in building the mills at Cataraqui his wife and their
children arrived with the other refugees at Sorel in 1783, where they
endured great hardships from the ravages of small-pox. ‘They subse-
quently joined him after a separation of seven years, and the reunited
family settled upon Lot Thirty-four in the first concession of Ernest-
town. He was one of the prominent men of the Midland District, was
appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1788, a captain of the militia in 1809,
and died in 1823.
As the clearings increased in size and number and the annual yield
from the soil supplied more than the wants of the table, life among
the settlers became more tolerable. The want of live stock had been a
serious drawback; but during the first few years they had neither the
means to procure them, nor the feed to maintain them. It is stated upon
good authority that one Thomas Goldsmith obtained a fair herd of
cattle in 1786, but being unable to secure a sufficient quantity of suitable
fodder all but three starved to death. After the year of famine when
the country assumed a brighter aspect and the virgin soil began to yield
bountiful harvests, cattle and horses were gradually introduced from
New York State and the older settlements on the St. Lawrence. By
1795 horses, cattle, and sheep were plentiful, the pioneers were relieved
of, the heaviest part of their work, which they transferred to the beasts
of burden, and enjoyed the luxury of fresh meat, butter, and cheese.
Hens and other barn-yard fowls made their appearance about the same
time; but considerable care was still necessary to protect them from the
foxes and other denizens of the forest, which had a particular relish for
the farmer’s poultry. One of the most onerous duties cast upon the
settler was that of making roads, as each one was required to clear a
road across his lot. At first trees were blazed from one clearing to
another, marking a footpath through the woods; for, although regular
allowances were laid out in the survey, these were rarely followed, and
particularly in the townships of Adolphustown and Fredericksburgh,
which are cut up by arms of the bay, the paths were irregular, some-
times following the configuration of the shore line or deviating to avoid
a creek or swamp. As horses were introduced the boughs were trimmed
to permit the rider to pass along without the danger of being brushed
+
Tee Mae eee tr bt ey
h
esl
t)
—
, ed 2 ,
| |
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 43
off by an overhanging branch and, with the advent of carts and’ sleighs,
stumps and trees were removed to enlarge the passage way and there
was gradually developed the modern highway; but many of the bends
still remain, although the causes for the deviations no longer exist, or -
if they do, most of them would be no serious obstacle to the modern
road-maker.
The author of The Emigrant’s Guide of 1820 has this to say
upon the state of society in Upper Canada: “The state of society in
Upper Canada, especially to a European, is not attractive. To the
spiritual mind it offers little spirituality, (but where alas shall we find
more!), to the votaries of politeness and etiquette, little of that glare
of studied polish, which is so often, so arrogantly, so blindly, and so
ruinously set up in the place of the great principle of christian love of
which it is so deplorable an imitator. The Canadian society has rather
roughness than simplicity of manners; and scarcely presents a trace of
that truly refined, that nobly cultivated, and that spiritually improved tone
of conversation and deportment, which, even in the most highly polished
circles and amidst all the inflections of real or imagined superiority, is
so rarely to be found.
“Yet the state of society in Upper Canada is not without its advan-
tages. It is adapted to the condition of the country and is consistent
with the circumstances of which it forms a part.
“Its general characteristics may be said to be, in the higher classes,
a similar etiquette to that established at home, with a minor redundancy
of polish, and minor extravagance; and in the lower, a somewhat
coarser simplicity. As far as I have seen the people, they appear to
me fully as moral as any other I know, with as much mutual kindness
among themselves, and more than commonly hospitable to strangers.
They seem to me rather inclined to seriousness than levity, and to need
only the advantage of pious instruction and of pious example, to become,
under grace, one of the most valuable people upon the earth.
“Their habits are, in general, moderately industrious, frugal, and
benevolent. Their amusements, of course, are unhappily like those of
the world. Horse-racing, betting, shooting; and where leisure abounds,
idle conversation, balls, cards, and the theatre, etc. Yet I have observed
with pleasure a somewhat more domestic tone amongst their women;
and it has amply compensated, to me for the absence of that greater
degree of polish which at once adorns and disgraces the general mass
of our European ladies. But the passion for that polish, corroborated
as it is by all the vanities, as cultivation develops them, of our nature, is
afloat. It is tending rapidly to displace the remaining and superior
44 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
charms of that simplicity: and threatens ere long to render as irrelevant
to Upper Canada that beautiful sentiment of Goldsmith:
“More dear to me, congenial to my heart,
One native charm, than all the gloss of art.”
Though it does not bear directly upon the history of our county 1
cannot forbear quoting the same author’s comments upon the then town
of Kingston. ‘There are few towns and villages in Upper Canada, and
those few are small, Kingston, the most considerable of them, being
less extensive than the generalty of the common county towns in Great
Britain and Ireland. Agriculturalists, such as are almost universally
the people of Upper Canada, scatter themselves over their farms, not
crowd together as do the colonies of commerce.
“Still towns and commerce are essential parts of the prosperity of
states: and as the settlements in Canada are extended, and at the same
time that they produce more abundant articles for export, shall demand
the enlarged introduction of foreign conveniences, towns and commerce
must flourish.
“Kingston, situated in the township of Frontenac, at the head of
the River St. Lawrence where it issues from Lake Ontario, already feels
this difference. Within the last few years, it has increased amazingly
and promises to go on rapidly improving. Placed in the great course
of water communication: possessed of a harbour and dockyard, with a
commanding point, which is fortified, and forms the strongest point at
present in the province: while at the same time, it is the key of some
subordinate, but extremely important lines of internal intercourse, it
may be regarded as a dawning emporium, where wealth and grandeur
shall hereafter stalk with a gait as proud and as lordly as they now stalk
in places, then perhaps shorn of their meteor magnificence.”
If the spirit of the Captain were to revisit Kingston to-day would
he consider that his eloquent prophecy had been realized? He enter-
tained no such hopes for York nor ventured to predict its future pos-
sibilities, but dismisses it with a few words as to its favourable location
after referring to it as “next in importance to Kingston.” Belleville is
described as “a new and thriving village, situated at the head of the
Bay of Quinte.”
The Ambitious City was then in the embryonic stage and the author
of the Guide was not very exact as to its location, but honours it with a
passing reference:—“And between Belleville and York, near Smith’s
Creek, is another village, called Hamilton.”
His advice to emigrants regarding methods to conduce to the pre-
servation of health is in many respects timely, even to the emigrant of |
es
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 45
the twentieth century :—‘The first object to emigrants lately arrived, is
to avoid every excess of every kind; to be temperate in all things; and
to provide, as far as possible, against exposure to the inclemencies of
the weather, particularly of the night air.
“For this purpose an ample supply, particularly of blankets, should
be laid in at Quebec or Montreal; and this precaution should by no
means be omitted on account of the incumbrance of their carriage. Of
course this advice applies especially to those whose finances do not
enable them to command the more expensive means of shelter wherever
they go. Damp, and particularly remaining without motion in damp
clothes, should, at however great a trouble, be sedulously avoided; and
the best attainable shelter, even to the utmost extent of the person’s
means, should be everywhere diligently sought; more especially between
the months of September and June.
“Marshy and swampy situations should be particularly avoided, if
possible, and where altogether unavoidable, the house should be built
as remote from them, as consistent with any tolerable degree of con-
venience in other respects.
“The wood about the dwelling should be immediately and entirely
cleared away; no branches or logs left, as is very universally the case, to
gather and preserve stagnant and putrefying moisture.
“The dwelling should be made as impervious as may be to the sur-
rounding air, every crevice being well closed, and everything should be
kept clean and dry about it.
“When clear, good spring or river water cannot be had, the water
for drinking should always be boiled and suffered to cool before it is
used.
“In damp situations, which are exposed to agues, I esteem a moder-
ate use of liquor to be healthful; but it would be better never to use it
than to use it with the smallest degree of intemperance.
“Generally throughout the province, but in the western district
particularly, it is pernicious to work exposed to the sun during the hot
season in the heat of the day. The labourers should rise at a propor-
tionately early hour, and rest from eleven till two. People just arrived
from Great Britain commonly feel a vigour which would tend to make
them despise caution; but it is offered by one who has collected it from
a very extensive experience, and he trusts it may be useful.”
Although the first settlers in this county spent nearly all of their
waking hours in heavy toil their life was not to them a life of drudgery.
Their hearts were in their work. Every acre that was cleared was one
more victory over the stubborn barrier that stood between them and the
road to prosperity. Every timber that was laid in their dwellings and
46 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
barns brought them one step nearer to a realization of their desire. There
was a grim satisfaction in subduing nature and enlisting her forces as
allies in their struggle for existence. There was a spirit of independence
in their daily battle for bread. After the government rations were with-
drawn, they were beholden to no man; but trusted solely to their own
good right arms, and to their work they devoted themselves with a will.
Sunday was their only holiday and there were no fixed hours for labour.
So long as there was work to do and strength to do it, the rule was
work, work, work, and when tired out, lay it aside and enjoy that
refreshing rest that comes to those who know what honest labour is.
During the long evening the pine knots would be piled about the huge
back-log and the different members of the family would have their work
apportioned among them; but an air of comfort and cheerfulness per-
vaded the room in keeping with the dancing blaze which diffused its
light to the remotest corner. The father, with a last resting upon his
knees held in place by a strap passing over it and under his foot, would
pause with uplifted hammer to recount! some amusing incident of his
day’s experience. The mother would smile approvingly or join in the
general laughter, never ceasing in her work upon the family socks except
now and then to raise her knitting needle to caution the others against
waking the younger children cuddled in a bunk upon the floor. A son
musingly whittled at a shuttle he was shaping for the loom, while his
sister, with a wooden tray upon her lap, hummed a favourite tune,
while she peeled and quartered its contents of apples and hung them
up in garlands above the fireplace to dry. Work was the predominating
feature of many of their festive gatherings. The husking bee was the
occasion of much good cheer. Each farmer had his corn to husk; but,
instead of sitting down by himself to do it, he summoned his neighbours
tc a, bee, to which all within a certain radius would expect an invitation,
and if any were overlooked, they would feel that an offence was
intended. These bees were always held in the evening in the barn,
which was lighted by candle lanterns securely suspended a safe distance
above the sheaves. Seated about in a semicircle on the floor, with a
bundle of corn beside each couple, the guests did the husking, throwing
the ears upon a heap in the centre, while the attendants removed the
stripped stalks and brought them a fresh supply. Larger and larger
grew the heap of golden ears to the confusion of the attendants who
dodged the flying missiles as they were hurled through the air. At the
sound of the dinner horn all repaired to the house, where a steaming
pot-pie awaited the hungry huskers. Dough-nuts and cider usually
formed a part of the menu, which always concluded with a pumpkin pie.
Then followed the pipes and stories and sometimes the fiddle, the only
=o y
! oF iar | is
eae
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 47
‘
musical instrument in the neighbourhood. At midnight the party
would disperse; the farmer’s corn was husked, all had had a jolly,
sociable evening and a good supper, and it never occurred to any of
them that they had been at work.
There were also the logging bees in the earlier days, when the
neighbours turned out with their oxen, their axes, and cross-cut saws.
These were more serious affairs and meant hard work, but all applied
themselves cheerfully to the task of cutting the fallen trees into lengths
that could be conveniently handled, and hauling them to the burning heaps
where they were consumed to ashes, which in turn were converted into
potash, the only return from the magnificent trees for which there was
little demand.
The women had their “afternoons,” a sort of clearing-house for the
gossip of the neighbourhood, but that was the only resemblance it bore
to the social functions of to-day. The housewife was never quite so
happy as when at work, and when she called upon her neighbours she
took her knitting with her. They had their bees as well as the men,
and the most popular of all was the quilting bee, when they gathered
about wooden frames upon which was stretched the material for the
quilt and deftly plied their needles while they merrily discussed the cur-
rent topics of the day.
The paring bees were also popular, when the apples that could not
be kept fresh during the winter were pared, and quartered, and strung
upon linen thread to be dried in the sun or over the fireplace.
The hospitality of the pioneers was proverbial, and visiting was a
recognized social custom especially during the winter season. They did
not wait for an invitation, but when they felt disposed, generally select-
ing a time when the nights were bright and the roads were passable,
the heads of the family would drive away to pay their respects to some
old friend, arriving at his dwelling in ample time to give the good
housewife an opportunity to prepare a hot supper, and rarely if ever
was she caught with an empty larder. A good fat goose was gener-
ally suspended from a peg in the woodshed and a peep into the cupboard
would invariably disclose a stock of brown dough-nuts, fruit jams, mince
pies and other delicacies awaiting just such an occasion. The visitors
were always assured of a warm welcome and a right good supper.
After doing justice to the edibles, more pine knots were heaped about the
back-log, and the remotest corners of the room were filled with a cheer-
ful brightness that no modern electrolier can equal, and hosts and
guests gathered about the hearth, “spun their yarns,” and with the latest
news bridged over the interval since their last meeting. Many happy
hours were thus spent, and at midnight the visitors took their leave.
48 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
At a time when newspapers were scarce, the postal service expensive
and irregular, and the means of communication with the outside world
very incomplete, these gatherings served the useful purpose of exchang-
ing bits of news which had been gathered by different members of the
company. As late as 1840 there were very few post-offices in this
county, as appears from the following list taken from the Kingston
Almanac published in the third year of the reign of Queen Victoria.
POSTAL RATE
POST-OFFICES Post MASTERS FROM KINGSTON
t d.
Adolphustown Stephen Griffiths 4%
Bath Wm. J. McKay 4%
Camden East Samuel Clark 4%
Fredericksburgh W. Anderson 4%
Mill Creek (Odessa) Timothy Fraser 4%
Napanee Allan Macpherson 4%
The population of this county is given in the same little publication
as follows:
Adolphustown, 1,620; Amherst Island, 822; Camden East, 3,155;
Ernesttown (then Ernest Town), 3,976; Fredericksburgh, 2,674; Rich-
mond (including the village of Napanee), 1,859; and Sheffield, 473.
The weather prophets were as venturesome seventy years ago as
they are to-day. The one writing for the Kingston Almanac unhesitat-
ingly informs the reader months in advance what he may expect from
the elements. He thus predicts for the month of October: “The com-
mencement of this month until the 4th will be unusually warm and
steady. On the 5th, Northeast winds will set in, accompanied by cold,
sleety rain, with heavy showers of hail, with interruptions of bright,
cold, blowing days, continuing to the twelfth: after which the weather
will become fine, with cold, frosty nights, the days being warm and
temperate. On the 18th the weather will again change, with cold rain
and blustering weather, with occasional cold, clear, frosty nights chang-
ing at sunrise to soft rainy weather with frequent squalls. On the 23rd
frost will set in with steady, clear weather. On the 26th it will become
‘more temperate.” The almanac joker had evidently just begun to put
in an appearance, as only five or six of his attempts appear in this issue.
This is one of them: “In what do the Loughborough girls ex-sell?” “In
the market.”
We of the twentieth century within easy call of the skilled physi-
cian by means of the net-work of telephone lines, urban and rural, know
little of the disadvantage under which our forefathers laboured in this
respect; for even as late as 1817 there were only ten qualified physicians
in the Midland District, not a single one of whom resided in this county ;
and at the time of the first settlement the pioneers were dependent
Co ag Vt
oe: |
on
4S _—
Ns Maors
ag? Ka
Forty oh:
y ah vo,
igh oe Pegs.
$ a
Ig ) Z yy foods fovihy , ple
Bs 4 re
LY Libe fillen. tits FAS
Ge Jog A, Sate lg feo th, +4 ae co,
Se sucns © fi ta bi ovr tre 2
vary hush ; Hilti MFT f “is e th
prom ae y ae tHhatt LF A the Ward
ve cp te eae
a
wre a F 7 enrhin tear Ta,
itd Dates 2
“3
MINUTES OF THE FIRST TOWN MEETING OF ADOLPHUSTOWN.
HAY BAY METHODIST CHURCH. BUILT 1792.
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 49
entirely upon the army surgeons at the military posts. We are not to
infer from this that all followers of that profession were on the revolu-
tionary side; on the contrary the leading physicians not only espoused
the cause of the Loyalists but made no effort to conceal their views. The
explanation is given in Sabine’s Loyalists of the American Revolution:
“The physicians who adhered to the Crown were numerous, and the
proportion of Whigs in the profession of medicine was less, probably,
than in either that of law or theology. But unlike persons of the latter
callings, most of the physicians remained in the country and quietly pur-
sued their business. There seems to be an understanding that though
pulpits should be closed and litigation be suspended, the sick should not
be deprived of their regular and freely chosen medical attendants. I
have been surprised to find from verbal conversation and various other
sources, that while the “Tory doctors’ were as zealous and as fearless
in the expression of their sentiments as the ‘Tory ministers’ and the
‘Tory barristers’ their persons and property were generally respected in
the towns and villages where little or no regard was paid to the bodies
and estates of gentlemen of the robe and surplice.”
There were army surgeons attached to the garrison at Kingston;
but as their duties were limited to the post at which they were stationed
they were not at all times willing to go any distance from their station;
and the refugees for years were obliged to depend upon what little
knowledge they themselves possessed of the healing art. The most
dreaded scourge was small-pox, and in view of the modern controversy
upon the subject of vaccination the following extract from an editorial
appearing in the Newark Journal of February 1st, 1797, is of interest:
“We hear from every settlement the determination for a general inocu-
lation for the small-pox. This resolution is highly commended by per-
sons of prudence. The country being young, and growing more exposed
to that disorder, a general inoculation every two or three years will
for ever render its prevalence in any way of very little concern, there
being then none, or but few excepting young children, to be affected by
it. This season of the year is highly favourable to do it; to defer it
until warm weather or summer is highly dangerous. The blood is in a
state then easily to become putrid, fever may set in with it, and besides
anese...... to place it in the most favourable situation,...... must sus-
tain infinite injury. To enact a law to enforce a general inoculation
looks arbitrary; but the writer of this who can in no wise be interested
by himself or friends, is of opinion that such a law in any country, more
' patticularly in a new one, would operate to the greatest possible benefit
of the country, and be justifiable on the principles of public and private
50 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
remains a blindness in so many to their own safety and welfare, and a
delicacy in our rulers to compel a man to throw off old prejudices and
to do those things that are taught by the simple and natural law of self-
defence.”
Although a statute was passed as early as 1788 to prevent persons
practising physic and surgery without first having obtained a license
from such person as the Governor or Commander-in-Chief should ap-
point for the purpose, and though other acts were, from time to time,
enacted with the same end in view, these laws were not enforced and
the country for a time was overrun by a number of unqualified quack-
doctors, possessing little or no knowledge of the diseases they treated
or the drugs they administered.
One of the first to declare war against these fraudulent practitioners
was the Reverend, afterwards Bishop, Strachan, who, under the pseu-
donym, “Reckoner,” wrote several letters to the Kingston Gazette in
1812, in which, among other things, he says: “The Province is overrun
with self-made physicians who have no pretensions to knowledge of any
kind, and yet there is no profession of any kind that requires more
extensive information.
“They comprehend not the causes or nature of diseases, are totally
ignorant of anatomy, chemistry, and botany; many know nothing of
classical learning of general science. Where shall you find one among
them attending particularly to the age, constitution, and circumstances of
the patient and varying his prescriptions accordingly? It is indeed pre-
posterous to expect judgment and skill, a nice discrimination of diseases,
or proper method of cure, from men who have never been regularly
taught, who cannot pronounce, much less explain, the terms of the art
they profess, and who are unable to read the books written upon the
subject. The welfare of the people calls aloud for some legislative pro-
vision, that shall remedy the increasing evil.” The Reverend gentleman
cites several instances of gross incompetence that came under his personal
observation, among them the case of a young woman ill of the fever
for whom the doctor, without measuring it, poured out such a dose of
calomel “as would have killed two ploughmen.” Upon the departure of
the medical attendant, the patient’s spiritual adviser threw the dose out
of the window.
Another Act to license practitioners was passed in 1815; but it re-
mained a dead letter, and the war against quackery was renewed by a
writer from Adolphustown who in a letter to the Gazette thus states
the case:
“Tt is a subject of deep interest to many that the executive and
magistracy should show such a sluggishness in enforcing the laws of the
THE SETTLING OF THE LOYALISTS 51
province. It is particularly to be deplored so far as those laws, relate
to persons calling themselves doctors; not only our fortunes but also
our lives are in the hands of those deplorable quacks. How does it hap-
pen that an Act of the session of 1815 isnot acted upon? Is it because
that Act is unwise, or is it because the executive does not think it of
sufficient importance to put into operation? If the first, why not expunge
it from the laws of the province? If the latter, what is the use of a
House of Assembly at all?
“Perhaps, Mr. Editor, you and other respectable gentlemen living
in town, who have access to and knowledge to value the merits of those
practising medicine, may not feel so much as I do the miserable condi-
tion of the country; but, sir, if the health of the subject is not a matter
of sufficient importance to rouse the morbid sensibility of those whose
duty it is to administer the laws, I should imagine that in a political
point of view it would be a matter of great importance to look after
those quack spies who are daily inundating the province. Those men
(most brutal, generally speaking, in their manners, and in their conduct
immoral in the highest degree) go from house to house like pedlars,
dealing out their poisonous pills and herbs, and holding out to the gaping
ignorant the advantages of a republican government.
“But to give you an instance of the contemptible conduct of one of
those animals, nearer yourself. During the last Session of the Peace I
had occasion to be in Kingston, and although I lodged in a private house,
I had occasion to call one morning at a tavern. While speaking to the
landlady in the bar, in comes a doctor and calls for a gill of brandy.
He drank it, in the course of which he put a great many questions to
her about the health of her customers, and finally said he would leave
some fever powders, as it was likely the country people would be get-
ting drunk (as he termed it) and would require medicine. The lady
thanked him, and said if she wanted any medical aid she knew where to
send for it.
“To conclude, Mr. Editor, the consequences of. the present system
will be, in the first place, to prevent native merit entering into the pro-
fession; secondly, those few respectable and regularly educated men
whom we have amongst us will either leave the province or get a mis-
erable subsistence if they remain; and, lastly, though not the least, the
province will be in some degree revolutionized by those emissaries of a
licentious republic.”
“Veritas”
“Adolphustown, May 14th, 1816.”
52 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The truth of the words of the Rev. Dr. Strachan and “Veritas” is
demonstrated by the following advertisement of the cure-alls offered for
sale by these impostors:
“Richmond, Oct. 17th, 1817.”
“Advertisement—This is to certify that I, Solomon Albert, is Good
to cure any sore in word Complaint or any Pains, Rheumatic Pains, or
any Complaint whatsoever the Subscriber doctors with yerbs or Roots.
Any person wishing to employ him will find him at Dick Bells.
“Solomon Albert’’*
If Solomon’s remedies were of the same class as his English, it is
to be hoped that the good people of Richmond did not consult him in a
professional way.
The Legislative Assembly, no longer able to withstand the attacks
made upon it for not protecting the public against the quacks and their
pernicious concoctions, passed an Act creating a Medical Board, com-
posed of five or more persons legally authorized to practise medicine,
with power “to hear and examine all persons desirous to practise physic,
surgery, or mid-wifery or either of them within the province,” and upon
the certificate of the Board as to the fitness of the applicant, a license to
practise might be granted to him. This Statute came into force on
November 27th, 1818, and the Board was promptly appointed and con-
vened at York and proved themselves equal to the occasion by rejecting
one out of two petitioners for license. At the April session one out of
two was rejected, and at the meeting in July four out of seven appli-
cants were found unfit to practise. A remedy was at last found for the
long standing evil. Mr. George Baker of Bath was the first gentleman
from this county to pass a satisfactory examination before the Board.
He received his certificate in January, 1820. In July of the same year
Hiram Weeks of Fredericksburgh was similarly honoured, and the third
practitioner for the county was John Vanderpost of. the same township,
who was licensed in January, 1821.
For the next sixteen years the following appear to be the success-
ful candidates from this county, so far as can be gathered from the
minutes of the Board.
Hames. Pairfield: «.\ bss 0 ae aes Baths . scenes
Abraham V. V. Pruyn ...... Bath... . sie une
Isaac..B. Aylesworth «040423 Rath .wi Nee
ioe. Gpamberlain: :....4604s4 Bath, .\eaineeeamas
* The Medical Profession in Upper Canada, page 36
.
ys ee "ee women en Ga rea ernie” ae
Pick cuaciery was ‘ick throuetay sradicabed te quite caniiiiod Trost : re
the following advertisement which appeared in the Napanee Standard a
in 1873: . *
“Dr. Hyatt” | tt,
“Clairvoyant and Magneticphysician”
“examines diseases by a lock of hair, photograph, or autograph. Can
be consulted at his residence opposite Green & Son’s furniture ware-
houses, Dundas Street, Napanee.”
«+54 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER IV
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.
By an Imperial Act passed in 1774 entitled “An Acf for making
more effectual provision for the Government of the Province of Quebec
in North America,” the boundaries of the province were so fixed as
to include all lands lying north of a-line drawn from the Bay of Chaleur,
following approximately the present southern boundary of the Province
of Quebec, thence along the St. Lawrence, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie,
and on westerly to the Mississippi River, excepting only the territory
granted to the Hudson’s Bay Company. It also included Newfoundland
and all islands and territories falling within the jurisdiction of its
government. Provision was made for the government of this extensive
territory, by further enacting that His Majesty might appoint a legis-
lative council, not exceeding twenty-three in number nor less than
seventeen, which council would have power to make ordinances for the
peace, welfare, and good government of the province. ‘There was an
express prohibition against levying any taxes, except such rates and
taxes as the inhabitants of any town or district might be authorized to
assess, levy, and apply for the purpose of making roads, erecting and
repairing public buildings, or for any other purpose respecting the local
convenience and economy of such town or district. In the same year
an Act was passed fixing the duties to be imposed upon brandy, rum,
and other spirits, and syrups and molasses, discriminating in favour of
all such manufactured in great Britain or carried in British ships. In
striking contrast with this last mentioned Act there was passed in 1778,
as a result of the American Revolution, an Act declaring that the King
and Parliament of Great Britain would not impose any duty-tax or
assessment, except only such as it might be expedient to impose for the
regulation of commerce, and that the product of all such duties should
be applied exclusively for the use of the colony in which the same were
levied.
From the breaking out of the rebellion in 1776 the Province
of Quebec appears to have been a special object of solicitude on the part
of King George and his Parliament. Year after year we find enact-
ments calculated to encourage new settlers. With the coming of the
Loyalists the people of this extensive domain felt that they had outgrown
the age when they could be ruled by a Government and Legislative
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 55
Council in whose appointment they had no voice. The Act of 1774,
popularly known as the Quebec Act, provided no machinery for the
self-government of the local districts, such as the Loyalists had been
accustomed to in their former homes; and such ordinances as had been
passed by the Legislative Council were not well suited to the require-
ments of a people accustomed to British laws and institutions. During
the first few years after their arrival in the county the settlers were
too busy to give much attention to the question of the administration
of justice; yet differences arose between neighbours, and offences were
committed by wrongdoers, and these differences had to be settled and
the offenders punished. From the time they had first set out on their
northern journey they had lived under martial law, and the officers
appointed to command the several companies continued to exercise
their authority until they were gradually replaced by the civil authorities.
They, however, did not enforce that rigid military discipline that is
generally understood to prevail under such circumstances; but, in their
own way, endeavoured to maintain peace and order by applying the
English laws as they understood them.
Lord Dorchester, who came to Canada in the autumn of 1786;
was the first Governor to take up the question of the administra-
tion of justice in Upper Canada. A few magistrates were appointed
in this part of the province, but their jurisdiction was so limited
that matters of any magnitude could be determined only by the
higher tribunals in the lower province. When Upper Canada was
divided into districts in 1788 a General Commission of the Peace was
issued appointing two magistrates for each township in the district of
Mecklenburgh. This number was added to from time to time as cir-
cumstances required or sufficient influence was brought to bear to secure
an appointment. More extended power, both ministerial and judicial,
was vested in the justices, who were authorized to sit collectively as
one body known as the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace, a name
retained long after the justices had ceased to exercise their powers in
session. This important body performed the duties now assigned to
our municipal councils, justices of the peace, police magistrates, and to
some extent the county judges. One such court was established in
each of the four Districts, and the first court held in the Mecklenburgh
District was at Kingston on April 14th, 1789. There were four jus-
tices present, Richard Cartwright, Junior, Neil McLean, Richard Porter,
and Arch. McDonnell.
For over twenty years Richard Cartwright was the leading spirit of
these sessions, at which he presided when present, and his addresses
have been characterized as remarkable for their “sound principles, liberal
56 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON:
views, and tempered dignity.” Upon the few occasions when he was
absent his place was taken by Neil McLean, Alex. Fisher, or Thomas
Markland. During the first few sessions up to the passing of the Con-
stitutional Act the court not only heard and determined civil and crim-
inal cases, but also issued ordinances calculated to provide for the good
government of the district. Some pretty heavy sentences were handed
out by the sessions with the evident intention of stamping out the crime
of larceny. We find that at the April sessions of 1790, one Frederick
Piper, for having stolen a ploughshare purporting to be of the value of
ten shillings, was ordered to be given thirty-nine lashes on his bare back
at the public whipping-post, to be imprisoned for one month, and to
suffer the further humiliation of being exposed one day each week in
the stocks and duly labelled with the word “Thief,” in order that all
passers-by might know the crime for which he had been convicted and
have the opportunity of taunting him upon his degradation.
That the reader may appreciate the multifarious duties performed
by the Court of Quarter Sessions in addition to the hearing of civil and
criminal cases, let me briefly review the records for the year 1797. The
first meeting presided over by Alex. Fisher was held at Adolphustown
on January 24th, and no less than thirteen justices took their places upon
the bench. Two new justices were sworn in and took their seats, thus
swelling the number to fifteen. The formal proceeding of reading the
commission and summoning the grand jury was performed in the usual
manner, but no general business was transacted except the ordering of
a levy of £26 from the counties of Addington and Ontario to meet the
expenses of the member, Joshua Booth, in attending the meeting of the
Legislative Assembly for the year 1796 and the sum of £25 to cover his
expenses for the year 1795.
A special session, attended by only two justices, was next held at
Kingston on March 18th to receive the accounts and lists of the road
overseers and to apportion the road work to be done by them.
Another meeting was held at Kingston on April 25th and 26th, at
which five justices were present the first day and two on the second.
The chief business transacted at these sessions was the ordering of the
levy of a rate for the ensuing year, the recommendation of the appoint-
ment of two additional coroners, the passing of several accounts for
services rendered in connection with the relief of the poor, and other
accounts of the clerk of the peace and township clerks, the granting of
a license for a public inn, the auditing of the treasurer’s accounts, and
the appointment of constables for the year.
On July 11th and 12th the sessions were held at Adolphustown with
seven justices in attendance, which number was increased to eight ‘by
;
'
f
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 57
swearing in a newly appointed member of the court. At this court the
justices established a Court of Request in the township of Marysburgh,
and another in the townships of Sophiasburgh and Ameliasburgh.
At a meeting held in Kingston on October toth, four constables
were fined twenty shillings each for non-attendance.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the justices transacted a
large amount of business outside of their judicial duties. In 1798
licenses were granted by them for the establishment of a ferry across
the Napanee River, fixing the toll for foot passengers at 3d., and horse
and man at 7d., and another at Murray at which the toll was fixed at
4d. and &d., respectively.
Prior to 1798 ministers of the Church of England only could legally
perform the marriage ceremony, but an act was passed in that year
authorizing the Quarter Sessions, when six justices at least were pre-
sent, to grant licenses to clergymen of the Church of Scotland or Luth-
erans, or Calvinists to solemnize marriage, upon their taking the oath of
allegiance, being vouched for by seven respectable persons members of
the congregations or community to which they belonged, producing
proofs of ordination and the sum of five shillings. Robert McDowell,
the Presbyterian minister, complied with these conditions at the sessions
held at Adolphustown in July, 1800, and was given the required certi-
ficate, the first issued in this district. In January of the following year
a similar certificate was granted the Lutheran minister, John G. Wigant.
At the sessions held at Adolphustown on January 25th, 1803, the
first ferry license between Ameliasburgh and Thurlow was granted to
William Garow (Gerow) with the following tolls:—every man Is., two
or more 9d. each, man and horse 2s., span of horses and carriage 2s. 6d.,
yoke of oxen 2s. 6d., every sheep 3d., every hog 4d.
In 1791 was passed the Constitutional Act, dividing the Province
of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada and making provision for the
government of the two provinces thus formed. Each legislature was
to consist of three branches, the Lieutenant-Governor, the Legislative
Council, and the House of Assembly, corresponding to our Governor-
General, Senate, and House of Commons. Under the new order of
things Colonel John Graves Simcoe was the first Lieutenant-Governor of
Upper Canada, and pursuant to the authority vested in him, he pro-
ceeded by proclamation, bearing date July 16th, 1792, to divide the
province into counties and to declare the number of representatives to be
elected by each to serve in the Legislative Assembly, which was to con-
sist of sixteen members. The component parts of our county, as at
present bounded, entered into the composition of three separate counties,
namely, Ontario, Addington, and Lenox (afterwards spelled Lennox).
7 i ’ ‘
2 aT 4) ne 2
58 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The county of Ontario was composed exclusively of islands, compris-
ing all the islands lying between the mouth of the Gananoque River and
the most easterly extremity of Prince Edward County, among the num-
ber being Amherst Island, then known as Isle Tonti; Addington was
composed of the Township of Ernesttown and all the land between Lake
Ontario on the south and the Ottawa River on the north that would fall
within the extension of the eastern and western boundaries of the town-
ship, including of course the then township of Camden. Lennox was
bounded on the east by the county of Addington, on the south by the
Bay of Quinte, and on the west by the Bay of Quinte, and the western
boundary of the township of Richmond extended northerly, until it
intersected the western boundary of Addington. In fixing the repre-
sentatives that the several counties, nineteen in all, were entitled to,
the apportionment was much more confusing from the twentieth century
point of view. Ontario and Addington were to send one representative ;
Adolphustown was severed from the neighbouring townships and linked
to Prince Edward to form an electoral district to be represented by one
member, and the remainder of Lennox, that is Fredericksburgh and Rich-
mond, were united with Hastings and Northumberland in sending one
representative.
The present county of Ontario was sparsely settled at the
time and had then no separate existence. So few indeed had taken up
land on the north shore of Lake Ontario that all the territory between
Weller’s Bay and Burlington Bay was divided into three counties,
Northumberland, Durham, and York, and the latter two had not suffi-
cient population to entitle them to a representative, but were joined to
a part of Lincoln to form one electoral district. The members of the
Legislative Council, seven in number, were appointed by the Crown and
held office for life. Fully equipped with all this legislative machinery,
to which was added an Executive Council or advisory board, Upper
Canada entered upen its career as a self-governing province at Niagara |
in September, 1792. The first act of the miniature Parliament contained
a provision which gave great satisfaction to all the inhabitants and has i
proven a blessing to all future generations. It was expressed in few .
words but was far-reaching in its consequences, for it swept away the
obnoxious French Civil Code and brought the province under the laws
of Great Britain. The operative words were as follows: “That from
and after the passing of this Act, in all matters of controversy relative
to property and civil rights, resort shall be had to the laws of England,
as the rule for the decision of the same.” At the same session trials
by jury were established and Courts of Requests created for the easy
;
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 59
4
and speedy recovery of small debts before two or more justices of the
peace. ‘
The four Districts which had been given Dutch names to appease
a large number of Loyalists of German descent were renamed the
“Eastern,” “Midland,” “Home,” and “Western” Districts respec-
tively. The Court of Requests, corresponding to our present division
courts, were presided over by justices residing in the respective divi-
sions. In 1840 there were eleven of these divisions in the Midland
District, and the Kingston Almanac published in that year gives the fol-
lowing list of courts and justices severally assigned to them:
“Division 3rd.—Ernesttown and Amherst Island:—lIsaac Fraser,
Wm. I. McKay, Orton Hancox, Benjamin Seymour, William Fairfield,
Junior.—Holden at Bath.” °
“Division 4th.—Camden and Sheffield:—Jacob Rombough, Samuel
Clark, Calvin Wheeler, R. D. Finley, W. M. Bell.—Holden at Camden
Fast.”
“Division 5th.—Part Fredericksburgh and Adolphustown:—James
Fraser, David L. Thorp, Samuel Dorland, Samuel Casey, Jacob Detlor,
Williams Sills—Holden at Charters Inn.”
“Division 6th—Part Fredericksburgh and Adolphustown:—Archi-
bald McNeil, James Fraser, W. W. Casey, Geo. Schryver, A. Campbell.
—Holden at Clarkville.”
“Division 7th.—Richmond and part Hungerford:—Allan Mac-
pherson, Archibald Caton, George H. Detlor, David Stuart, Charles.
Macdonald.—Holden at Napanee.”
There was only one registry office in the District. at that time, and
it of course was at Kingston, but there were two deputy registrars, Isaac
Fraser at Bath, and Robert McLean at Belleville. When the Loyalists.
first settled here there was no workable statutory authority for municipal
government, but the necessity for it was felt, and the Quarter Sessions
took it upon themselves to supply the defect, levied assessments, let
public contracts, and issued orders for the good government of the Dis-
trict corresponding to our by-laws. The citizens were not content with
the rule of the justices. They had been accustomed to their town meet-
ings, their town offices and by-laws, and saw no reason why they should
not enjoy the same privileges in their new home, and they proceeded to
convene town meetings, appoint their own officials, and frame regu-
lations to meet their needs.
There lies before the writer the original minute-book of the town
meetings of the township of Adolphustown extending over a period
_ from 1792 to 1849. rT
60 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
All of the business transacted and recorded at the first meeting is
embodied in twelve lines, containing only ninety-four words, and the
entire record from 1792 to 1849 inclusive, after which date the Municipal
Act came into force, is contained in less than one hundred pages, the
greater portion of which is given over to census returns and lists of
officers elected. The officers chosen at the meeting of March 6th, 1792,
were a town clerk, a constable, two overseers of the poor, three
pound-masters, and two fence-viewers. At the meeting of March sth,
1793, there were chosen a town clerk, two constables, two oyerseers of
the poor, four overseers of the highway, and six fence-viewers. The
Act providing for the nomination and appointment of parish and town
officers was passed July oth, 1793, after which a special town meeting
was held on August 28th of the same year, and the following officers
were chosen: a town clerk, two assessors, a collector, four overseers of
the highway and fence-viewers, the two offices being combined by the
Statute, three pound-masters, and two town wardens. The Statute
enacted that the inhabitant householders should choose “two fit and dis-
creet persons to serve the office of town wardens for such parish, town-
ship, reputed township, or place; but as soon as there shall be any
church built for the performance of divine service, according to the use
of the Church of England, with a parson or minister duly appointed
thereto, then the said inhabitant householders shall choose and nomin-
ate one person, and the said parson or minister shall nominate one other
person, which persons shall jointly serve the office of churchwarden ;
and that such town wardens or churchwardens, and their successors
duly appointed, shall be a corporation to represent the whole inhabitants
of the township or parish, and as such, may have a property in goods
or chattels of or belonging to the said parish, and shall and may sue,
prosecute, or defend in all presentments, indictments, or actions for and
on the behalf of the inhabitants of the said parish.”
Notwithstanding the building of a church for the performance of
divine service, the town meetings in apparent disregard of that provi-
sion of the Statute, continued to elect two wardens until 1823, when for
the first time the right of the church to nominate one of the wardens
was recognized, as appears by the following minute for that year:
“Thomas Williams, Esq., Church Warden, appointed by the Clergyman ;”
and Lazarus Gilbert was appointed by the town meeting. In each suc-
ceeding year up to 1836 the church nominated one of the wardens, after
which date the wardens or commissioners were all chosen by the
inhabitants.
At the annual meeting of 1792 Reuben Bedell was appointed town
clerk, Joseph Allison and Garret Benson constables, Paul Huff and ~
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 61
Phillip Dorland overseers of the poor, Willet Casey, Paul Huff, and John
Huyck pound-masters. The dimensions of hog yokes were fixed at
18 x 24 inches. The height of a fence was fixed at four feet eight inches,
and Abraham Maybee and Peter Ruttan were appointed fence-viewers.
It was further decreed that water was not to be regarded as a fence,
that no pigs were to run at large until they were three months old, and
stallions were not to be allowed at large at all. Our forefathers wasted
no words in their municipal enactments as the foregoing regulations
were embodied in the following brief sentences: “Dimensions of hog
yoaks 18 inches by 24,—height of fence 4 feet 8 inches. Fence-viewers
Abraham Maybee and Peter Ruttan,—Water voted to be no fence,—
no pigs to run till three months old. No stallion to run.” The minutes
concluded with “Any person putting fire to brush or stubble that does
not his endeavour to hinder it from doing damage shall forfeit the sum
of forty shillings.” We thus see the two bodies, the. self-constituted
town meeting and the Court of Quarter Sessions exercising concurrent
jurisdiction, as the latter body at its session of July 14th, 1789, passed
the following order: “No stallion more than two years old shall be
allowed to run after the twentieth instant under a penalty of forty shill-
ings to be paid by the owner, one half of which will be allowed the
informer.” This conflict of authority was the subject of legislation at
the next meeting of the Provincial Parliament held at Niagara in July,
1793.
It must be borne in mind that Adolphustown was recognized as
the most important centre of civilization in Upper Canada at the time,
and the representatives of this district were men of high standing
whose counsels carried great weight. Kingston had grown to be a town
of a hundred or more houses, was a military and naval*centre, but
Adolphustown took the lead in all matters appertaining to the adminis-
tration of the civil affairs of the province. The right of the people to
appoint their own officials was recognized by the second Act of this the
second Parliament which authorized the calling of town meetings on
the first day of March each year for the purpose of choosing a town
clerk, assessor, collector, overseers of highways, pound-keepers, town
wardens, and constables. To those officers was intrusted the authority
to administer the laws within their respective spheres; but no power was
given to the local body to enact any by-laws, yet upon this slender
foundation has been built our Municipal Act of to-day. At the same
session an Act was passed for holding the Quarter Sessions for the
_ Midland District alternately at Adolphustown in January and July, and
at Kingston in April and ‘October. The town meetings scored another
victory at this session by being given the power “to ascertain and deter-
62 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
mine in what manner and at what periods horned cattle, horses, sheep,
and swine, or any of them, shall be allowed to run at large.”
Turning again to the minutes of the town meetings we find the
inhabitants of Adolphustown providing for their own needs, regard-
less of either the Quarter Sessions or Parliament. In 1794 the
first declaration of war was made against the thistle which was carried
to this part of the province in the bateaux from Lower Canada. ‘The
following minute appears in the record for that year: “It is agreed by
the township that the weed called thistle should be crushed in its
growth and to this purpose that pathmasters do direct the people to assist
every person on whose land the same may grow in subduing it. Pro-
vided it be found necessary and of this the pathmasters are to be the
judges.”
Beginning with the year 1794 the town clerk carefully entered in
his minute-book, as directed by the Statute of the previous year, a return
of all the inhabitants of the township. This is repeated in the same
precise form each year, giving the name of the head of the family in the
first column and the number of men, women, male and female children
in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th columns respectively, and the total number
of the household in the 6th. From these records the population of the
township in 1794 was 402; in 1804 it had increased to 585, but fell back
to 552 in 1814; the last return, which is for the year 1822, gives the
total as 571. The average family during these twenty-nine years was
six and seven, and Paul Trumpour and Alexander Fisher head the list,
each having a household of seventeen. The war against the thistle was
continued, and in 1799 eleven overseers were appointed “to determine
whether a fine of forty shillings shall not be laid on any person or per-
sons who shall be found remiss or negligent in stopping the growth of
the thistles on their premises, which fine if so laid by the aforemen-
tioned persons or any three of them shall be laid out in subduing said
thistles in this township. It is also agreed that when any person has so
many growing on his lands that it may by the pathmasters or any one
of them be thought to be burthensome for him to cut, that the path-
master do order out ail the persons liable to do statute duty on the high-
ways to his assistance.” Notwithstanding the master stroke in adding
the rider to their order by which a friendly pathmaster could come to
the relief of the delinquent the provision appears to have been unpopular
and this “Prudential Law” was repealed the following year, only to be
re-enacted in 1801.
For the next eight years the town meeting contented itself with
appointing officers and continuing the same “Prudential Laws”
from year to year, the only attempt at original legislation being
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 63
the simple enactment in 1810 “that hogs and pigs are not to be
commoners unless lawfully yoaked the whole year.” For the next
thirty-nine years the town meetings did little more than appoint the
officers of the township and re-enact the laws of the previous year by
simply inserting in the minutes “Prudential Laws the same as last
year.” Their efforts at law-making were practically confined to vary-
ing from time to time the regulations concerning animals running at
large. Meanwhile the Quarter Sessions continued to administer the civil
and criminal laws to the extent of their jurisdiction, and to exercise
their other powers in managing the jail and other public institutions; in
laying out and improving the highways; in levying an assessment to
provide for the sessional indemnity of the members of the Assembly; in
appointing street and highway surveyors, district and township con-
stables, and inspectors of weights and measures. They regulated ferries
and markets, and the granting of certificates to applicants for licenses to
sell liquor, and to the clergymen of dissenting congregations, who could
not solemnize marriage until authorized by the court. That the people
of Upper Canada for over fifty years continued to intrust the manage-
ment of their local public affairs to a small body of men nominated by
the Crown speaks volumes for the patience and law-abiding qualities of
the inhabitants, and is no small compliment to the intelligence, public
spirit, and fair-mindedness of the justices composing the Sessions.
When we consider what the Loyalists had already undergone in order
to maintain their principles we wonder that they submitted as long as
they did to the autocratic rule of the justices. They had been accus-
tomed to popular self-government and had learned through their experi-
ence at the town meetings how easy a matter it was to make and repeal
laws. The towns gradually broke away from the authority of the
Quarter Sessions by the creation of Boards of Police to regulate
their affairs, and in some cases notably Toronto, Kingston, Cornwall,
and Bytown (Ottawa), by special Acts of Incorporation. With these
examples before their eyes, popular government in the rural sections
could not long be deferred, and in 1841 the Quarter Sessions were shorn
of much of their power by the passing of The District Councils Act.
Each District was constituted a municipal corporation to be governed by
a District Council clothed with power to build and maintain schools,
public buildings, roads, and bridges, to fix and provide means for paying
the salaries of the district and township officers, and to levy assessments
to meet the expense of the administration of justice.
It was not without a bitter struggle that this victory for the
people was achieved. Lower and Upper Canada had just been re-
_. united, and the Honourable S. B. Harrison at the first session cham-
‘64 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
pioned the Act through the néw House against such strong opposi-
tion as Sir Allan MacNab and Mr. J. S. Cartwright, the member
for Lennox and Addington, both of whom are credited with oppos- »
ing the bill because it was democratic and republican in prin-
ciple, while the member for Hastings (Mr. Baldwin) thought that
it did not go far enough, and was pleased to style it “an abominable
bill” and a “monstrous abortion” which he viewed “with detestation.”
The bill was eventually passed, some sections being carried by very
narrow majorities. In 1798 there had been a readjustment of the
counties by which the old county of Ontario was done away with, and
it was enacted “that the townships of Ernesttown, Fredericksburgh,
Adolphustown, Richmond, Camden (distinguished by being called
Camden East), Amherst Island, and Sheffield do constitute and form
the incorporated counties of Lennox and Addington.” The Midland
District at the time the District Councils Act came into force comprised
the counties of Frontenac, Lennox, and Addington. The first meeting
of the new council was held in 1842 and was composed of one repre-
sentative from each township duly chosen at the respective town meet-
ings. .
The Act of 1841 proved to be so satisfactory that the same Mr.
Baldwin who had viewed it “with detestation;’ sought to extend its
principles in 1843 by introducing a general municipal act providing for
the incorporation of all townships, towns, counties, and cities. The bill
passed its three readings in the Assembly but was strangled in the Legis-
lative Council. Six years later he reintroduced the same measure with
certain amendments and improvements, among them. being the inclusion
of villages in the list of municipalities eligible for incorporation. The
principle of the District Councils Act had so grown in the popular
esteem that but little opposition was offered, and our “Magna Charta
of Municipal Government’ became law, and remains to-day in our
Municipal Act a lasting monument to the wisdom of its author. During
the same session it was deemed expedient to abolish the territorial divi-
sion of the province into districts, and the county was made the unit
for judicial and other purposes.
By a series of so-called “Gerrymandering” Acts successive gov-
ernments have carved up many of the counties into electoral dis-
tricts; but for other practical purposes the principle of the Act of |
1849 has been maintained. As the several districts had erected
jails and other public buildings the rights of the several counties
making up the district were preserved by providing that the dis-
trict jail, court-houses, grammar schools, and officers should thence-
forth belong to the counties and union of counties set forth in the
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 65
schedule to the Act. In this schedule we find Frontenac, Lennox, and
Addington united for judicial purposes and, under the above mentioned
proviso, joint owners of the public buildings which had been erected
in the town of Kingston. In 1851 certain other alterations were made
in the territorial divisions of the province whereby new townships were
added to many of the existing counties. Addington is described as
being composed of the townships of Camden, Ernesttown, Kaladar,
Anglesea, Sheffield, and Amherst Island; while Lennox retained its
original territory but was defined as Adolphustown (formerly Adolphus
Town), Fredericksburgh, Fredericksburgh additional, and Richmond.
By an Act of Parliament passed in 1860 the county of Lennox
was incorporated with the county of Addington to form the county of
Lennox and Addington and the union with Frontenac was continued as
before. By the same Act the townships of Effingham, Abinger, Ashby,
and Denbigh were added to and formed part of Addington. In 1863
Frontenac was severed from Lennox and Addington, and each became
a separate county for both judicial and municipal purposes. The only
connection between the two, apart from the neighbourly feeling created
by long association, is in respect to our county judges, whereby the
judges of the two counties alternately exchange duties in the county and
division courts.
In 1896 an attempt was made to improve the system of selecting
county councils, as the number of members in some counties was so great
that the councils were too unwieldly to dispose of the business brought
before them with that despatch that is supposed to characterize their
proceedings. The new Act provided for the subdivision of the counties
‘according to a sliding scale under which our ripe was rearranged
with five divisions as follows:
I. The Highlands Division, consisting of the unalone of Abinger,
Anglesea, Ashby, Denbigh, Effingham, Kaladar, and Sheffield.
II. The Camden Division, consisting of the township of Camden
and the village of Newburgh.
III. The Ernesttown Division, consisting of the village of Bath and
the townships of Amherst Island and Ernesttown.
IV. The U. E. L. Division, consisting of the townships of Adolphus-
town, North Fredericksburgh, and South Fredericksburgh.
V. The Napanee Division, consisting of the town of Napanee and
the township of Richmond.
Two councillors, or commissioners as they were called, were to be
elected from each division, making ten in all, and each elector, being
entitled to two votes, could if he saw fit cast his two votes for one can-
didate by making two crosses upon his ballot opposite the name of the
66 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
candidate of his choice. For ten years the experiment was continued,
and while it had a few redeeming features, which operated to some
advantage in very large counties, yet, in the average county, the innova-
tion was not regarded as a success. It was felt that the old system of
sending members of the local councils as the representatives of the
municipalities which elected them brought together as a county council
a body of men in close touch with the wants of every part of the
county. Such representatives, being members of the councils of the
lesser municipalities, were better able to give expression to the wishes of
the body they represented than one or two individuals elected by the
general vote of two or more townships. The policy of the local munici-
pality should be in harmony with the policy of its representative in the
county council, and a representative not cognizant of all the inner work-
ings of the lesser body might very easily have defeated the aims of the
electors who supported him. This opinion was quite general, and the
Act was repealed in 1906, and we returned again to the original method
of forming the county council.
/ We have seen how in the early days the justices of the peace were
the most important personages in the community. The squires were
looked up to as the supreme local authority; for they not only adminis-
tered the finances of the district, levied the rates, and appointed officials;
but sat as judges in both civil and criminal matters. Little by little
encroachments were made upon their authority, first by the town meet-
ings, to which bodies were assigned certain rights, then by the district
councils, and finally by the County Courts Acts passed in 1845. In the
same year a law was passed providing that the county judge should
preside as chairman at the Quarter Sessions of the Peace. The right
of the justices to sit at the sessions was still recognized, and the justices
present were authorized to elect a chairman pro tempore in case the
county judge from sickness or other unavoidable cause was unable to be
present.
' The legislature went one step further in 1873 and declared by
Statute that in order to constitute a court of sittings of the General Ses-
sions of the Peace presided over by the county judge, it was not neces-
sary that any other justice of the peace be present. Thus the squires were
told in modest yet unambiguous language that, while their presence was
not prohibited, the business of the court could be carried on without
them.
_ Inthe following year the legislators went one step further and
enacted that whenever from illness or casualty the judge was not able
to hold the sittings of the General Sessions of the Peace the sheriff
‘should adjourn the court, or in other words while the presence of the
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 67
justices could be dispensed with, that of the county judge could not.
It is many \years since the justices have taken their places upon’ the
bench alongside the county judge, but their right to do so could not be
successfully challenged. The statutory authority for the constitution of
the court remained unchanged from 1801 to 1909, except the provisions
relating to the chairman and to adjournment in case of the absence of
the county judge. He is still styled the chairman of the court, and the
present Consolidated Act of 1909 still recognizes the right of the justices
to participate in the proceedings by re-enacting the section of 1873 that
the presence of the justices is not indispensable in order to have a
regularly constituted court.
Another inroad upon the jurisdiction of the justices was made
by the Police Magistrate Act first introduced as a part of the
Municipal Institutions Act of 1866, and after Confederation so
amended from time to time that now justices are prohibited from
adjudicating upon or otherwise acting in any case for any town or city
where there is a police magistrate. In this very prohibition, extended
also to cases arising in a county for which there is a police magistrate
before whom the initiatory proceedings have been taken, these words
appear “except at the Court of General Sessions of the Peace.” This
quotation from the Police Magistrates Act of 1910 makes it clear that
it never has been the intention of the legislature to exclude the justices
from taking part in the sessions if they see fit to exercise their preroga-
tive. .
The result of all the foregoing legislation is that our justices of
the peace to-day have been shorn of practically all their power, and to-
day are the custodians of the Statutes and administer an occasional oath
to the witnesses to conveyances. There are scores in every county,
among them many of our best citizens; but not one in ten has ever
presumed to take an information or adjudicate upon a case. The old-
fashioned “Squire” who was a terror to evildoers and the standard
authority upon all matters in his neighbourhood, has passed away with
the stage-coach and wayside inn. Faithfully he served his day and
generation as the local legislator and judge, the guardian of the public
funds, and the administrator of the public business, and not unfre-
quently his counsel and advice were sought in matters not falling within
the pale of his public duties, and his services were sought as arbitrator
of the disputes between neighbours. By precept and example he gen-
erally wrought for the well-being of his fellow-citizens. As a public
conveyancer his presence in the community was -a convenience, and
many of the documents drafted by him display considerable skill and
good judgment. To the old justices, who before the creation of our
—
P ‘ r » ‘
= ee nn ae
alll
nua
68 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
present system of courts and municipal institutions, took upon themselves
the burden of ministering to the people’s needs, we can all look back
with admiration and gratitude, for they were the stalwart men of one
hundred years ago.
In the year 1820, one C. Stuart, a retired captain of the East
India Company’s service, after a year’s residence in the Western District
of Upper Canada, wrote a very interesting little volume entitled The
Emigrant’s Guide to Upper Canada. He appears to have been a keen
observer, and his reasoning is clear and sound, particularly in dealing
with the adverse opinions of the day in respect to the gift by the British
Government of a free constitution to the Canadas. In commenting
upon the administration of justice in Upper Canada he writes: “At
York (the capital) is the Supreme Court, consisting of a chief and two
minor judges. These three traverse the three circuits into which
the province is divided, namely, the Eastern, the Home, and the Western
in rotation; holding their assizes at Brockville, Niagara, and Sandwich,
in the autumn yearly. Besides these in each District, there is a district
court, which sits quarterly the day following the breaking up of the
general quarterly sessions, and determines all minor civil suits.
“The general quarterly sessions are the same as in England, and
meet early in April, July, October, and January.
“The magistrates or justices of the peace, and the various other
parish or town officers are the same as in England; and are equally
invested with the authority to correct and equally inattentive to the
sacred duty of correcting the common vices of drunkenness, profaneness,
and Sabbath breaking, which distort and afflict society.
“As far as this remissness, which is everywhere a general feature
of the human character, permits, and where these common principles of
corruption, which are everywhere inherent in human society, interfere
not, the administration of the laws decidedly partakes of the general
excellency of the laws themselves. Justice may be said to pervade the
province. A Canadian is free, in one of the fairest and happiest mean-
ings of that term. He need fear no evil, to the correction of which
human laws can reach, unless he himself provoke, and the public good
require it.”
The Consolidated Statutes of Upper Canada provided that when
the census returns taken under an Act of Parliament showed that the
junior county of any united counties contained 15,000 inhabitants or
more, then, if a majority of the reeves and deputy reeves of such county
in the month of February in any two successive years passed a resolu-
tion affirming the expediency of the county being separated from the
union and, further, if in the month of February of the following year a
4
-
we
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 69
inajority of the reeves did transmit to the Governor-in-Council a peti-
tion for the separation, then the Governor, if he deemed the circum-
stances of the junior county such as to call for a separate establishment
of courts and other county institutions might, by proclamation setting
forth the facts, constitute the reeves and deputy reeves a provisional
council, and therein name one of its members to preside at the meeting,
also therein determine the place for and the name of the county town.
Twelve years before its consummation, conditions were ripe and the
agitation began for the separation of this county from Frontenac; but
little progress was made until the Honourable John Stevenson took the
matter in hand and followed it up with that determination which charac-
terized the man. Frontenac of course was opposed to the movement and
used every means in its power to thwart the will of the inhabitants of
Lennox and Addington. The greatest drawback, however, arose from the
prolonged controversy over the selection of a county seat, there being no
less than four aspirants in the field: Tamworth, Newburgh, Napanee,
and Bath. The case of Tamworth was thus summed up in a resolution
presented at a meeting of the reeves and deputy reeves called for the
purpose of considering the question: “Whereas this county being ninety
miles long, we think that there would be an injustice perpetrated against
the settlers in the rear of the county if a frontier village should be
chosen for the county seat; for of a necessity the inhabitants of the new
townships cannot for years have good roads, nor acquire wealth enough
to have easy carriages to convey them to the county town; and if Bath,
Newburgh, or Napanee should be chosen the rear settlers would have -
to travel over eighty miles to do their county business. And whereas
the Village of Tamworth, in the township of Sheffield, approaches the
nearest to the centre of this county and is a healthy location, we deem
it the best available place for the county seat.” For obvious reasons
this species of argument did not appeal to the county’s representatives,
and Tamworth did not long continue in the race. Bath’s chances of
securing the prize were little better than those of Tamworth; but
Ernesttown fought stubbornly for the claims of the old village in the
forlorn hope that in the bitter war waged between Newburgh and
Napanee, the dark horse might win through a compromise between
these irreconcilable contestants. Matters became more complicated by
the presentation of a petition from the inhabitants of Amherst Island
that in the event of a separation their township should remain in the
senior county.
When just on the eve of the general election of 1863 the reeves
and deputy reeves determined to force the hands of the government; and
on April 18th, a meeting was held in the town hall, Napanee, to con-
70 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON q
sider the best method of selecting the county town. In the month of
February of the two preceding years the necessary resolutions had been
passed affirming the expediency of the separation, and in the month of
February of the then current year the necessary petition had been trans-
mitted to the Governor, praying for the separation; but the vexed ques-
tion of the county seat still remained unsettled. It was a critical hour
for the two rival villages of Newburgh and Napanee when Mr. J. J.
Watson of Adolphustown was called to the chair. Bath had retired
from the contest, and the reeve and deputy reeve of Ernesttown joined
forces with those of Camden to establish the seat of the county at, New-
burgh. All manner of wire-pulling was indulged in to outwit the cham-
pions of the claims of Napanee. The first vote taken was to seal the
fate of Tamworth, when to the surprise of many the vote of Camden
went for the northern village in the expectation of capturing the nor-
thern vote when the yeas and nays were called for the resolution favouring
Newburgh as the county town. Tamworth secured five out of fifteen
votes, Newburgh obtained but one more. It was apparent at this stage of
the proceedings that Napanee would carry the day, and it would have
befitted the wisdom and dignity of the meeting to have passed the re-
maining resolution unanimously; but such was not the temper of the
disappointed fighters from Ernesttown and Camden, and when a show
of hands was called nine supported the claims of Napanee and the same
six, who had voted for Newburgh, still persisted in their opposition and,
to their chagrin, the votes of the northern townships were all in favour
of the present county town.
The opposition did not stop there. Much bitterness had been
engendered during the long struggle, and the editors of the Napanee
papers were not wholly blameless for the bad feeling created. The
reeve of Newburgh might with good grace have accepted his defeat;
but his blood was up, and he petitioned the government to defer
the question, thus causing a further delay. To offset this last
move Mr. Stevenson prepared a counter petition signed by the repre-
sentatives of Napanee, Kaladar, Sheffield, Richmond, Adolphustown,
and North and South Fredericksburgh in which the attention of the
government was again called to the fact that all the conditions precedent
for the issuing of the proclamation had been complied with, and that
the delay was “highly detrimental to the interests of the localities which
your petitioners represent, and inconvenient and injurious to the great
majority of the people at large.” Finally on August 21st, when the
elections were over and no further excuse could be found for withhold-
ing from the people of Lennox and Addington the long deferred answer
to their petition, the royal proclamation issued; the separation was an
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 71
accomplished fact. Napanee was the county town, and John Stevenson
was named as the person to preside at the first meeting of the provisional
council which was called to meet in the town hall, Napanee, on the roth
of the following month. The Newburgh sympathizers bowed to the
inevitable, and the Napanee press, content with the victory achieved,
counselled that all local jealousy should cease, and that the provisional
council enter upon their new duties in a proper spirit and with a view
only to the welfare of the whole county. At the appointed time the
council met and was composed of the following gentlemen: J. J. Wat-
son, Adolphustown ; J. McGinnis, Amherst Island; W. F. Peterson, Bath;
S. Warner, Reeve, C. Fraser, Deputy Reeve, Ernesttown; D. Sills,
South Fredericksburgh; M. Parks, North Fredericksburgh; J. N. Lap-
um, Reeve, G. Paul, Deputy Reeve, Camden; J. D. Ham, Newburgh;
E. Perry, Reeve, J. Murphy, Deputy Reeve, Sheffield; C. R. Flint,
' Kaladar and Anglesea; I. Sexsmith, Reeve, R. Denison, Deputy Reeve,
Richmond, and John Stevenson, Napanee.
Mr. Stevenson was unanimously elected warden and Mr. Wm. V.
Detlor was appointed clerk. To the credit of all concerned the coun-
cillors sank their former differences and entered upon the serious busi-
ness of setting their house in order. A by-law was introduced at this
first session providing for the issue of debentures for the sum of
$20,000.00 to provide funds for the building of a court-house. At a
meeting of the council called on December 18th to consider the by-law
introduced at the September session the same was finally passed, and the
incoming council for 1864 found themselves in funds for the erection of
the court-house, which was energetically proceeded with.
The County Courts Act had been in force for many years at the
time of the separation, and Judge Mackenzie was the only judge in
Frontenac, Lennox, and Addington. He presided at all the division
courts in the united counties and the county court as well, which was
held only at Kingston. Division courts in this county were held at
Amherst Island, Millhaven, Conway, Tamworth, Centreville, Newburgh,
Napanee, and Wilton.
The separation called for an entire new set of officers for Len-
‘ nox and Addington. John Joseph Burrows, county crown attorney of
, the united counties, was appointed county judge of this county, and
Judge Mackenzie remained county judge of Frontenac for a few
years, when he resigned and removed to Toronto and resumed prac-
tice. He was succeeded by Judge Draper, who died in 1869, when
Judge Burrows was transferred from Napanee to Kingston and made
judge of the county of Frontenac. William Henry Wilkison, who had
_ been called to the bar in 1861 and was practising in Napanee, was the first
72 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
county crown attorney of this county and was appointed judge in 1869
to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of Judge Burrows. His
Honour Judge Price was appointed in 1878 to succeed Judge Burrows,
and His Honour Judge Madden was made Judge of Lennox and Add-
ington in 1903 upon the death of His Honour the late Judge Wilkison.
The first sheriff of the county was Oliver Thatford Pruyn, who dele-
gated his duties to his brother M. W. Pruyn for a few years and after-
wards to his son, Thomas Dorland Pruyn. He died in 1895 at his farm
in the front of Fredericksburgh where he had continued to live after .
his appointment, and was succeeded by the present sheriff, G. D.
Hawley.
There have been no less than five county crown attorneys in the
following order: W. H. Wilkison, W. A. Reeve, A. L. Morden, S. C.
Warner, and H. M. Deroche.
John Bell McGuin was the first clerk of the county court, and upon
his death in 1887 was succeeded by the present incumbent W. P.
Deroche.
Our county has been singularly fortunate in its public officers and
particularly in the judges of the local courts. By an arrangement which
prevails in'very few other counties in the province the county judge of
Lennox and Addington exchanges every alternate sitting of the county
and division court with the county judge of Frontenac, so that each
county has the benefit of the services of two senior judges. At the time
of his death the late Judge Wilkison had borne the honours of county
judge thirty-four years, and the present judge of the county court of
Frontenac has already completed his thirty-fourth year upon the bench.
It falls to the lot of few public servants to render such long and faith-
fr:l service to their country. His Honour Judge Madden now complet-
ing his tenth year as judge is still in the prime of manhood and bids
fair to maintain the record for longevity in service established by his
predecessor and contemporary. Fortunately for the bar of the two
counties, and fortunately for the litigants, our county judges have been
men who ranked high in the profession and brought to the high office
to which they were called not only the experience of a successful practice
but what is of greater importance still the unblemished record of men of
high moral standing. The township of Camden claims the honour of
being the birthplace of the county judges of both counties.
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 73
CHAPTER V
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES
The settlers in our newly opened territories of to-day suffer very
little inconvenience in obtaining the staple necessaries of life whether it
be in the forests of New Ontario or on the plains of the Northwest, and
the prices paid are not much greater than those prevailing in the towns
and villages of the older settlements. The catalogues of the departmental
stores will be found in the remotest corners and they serve as useful
guides in determining the values of the goods offered for sale. When
there were no railways, express companies, or parcel post the merchant
and customer were both sorely handicapped. The transportation facili-
ties were of the most primitive character and the carriage of goods from
the larger centres to the country store was slow and expensive.
From dire necessity the farmer had learned to wait upon himself,
and his patronage of the store was confined to a few staples which he was
unable to procure from the rivers, the forest, or the soil, or to manufacture
from the raw material which those afforded him. To a certain extent he
was his own butcher, baker, carpenter, blacksmith, tailor, and shoemaker,
and he served himself in many other capacities. His wants were so
few and simple that could he revisit the scenes of his toils and pleasures
he would stand aghast as he viewed our honest yeomen of to-day revel-
ling in the luxuries and labour-saving devices of the twentieth century.
The pack-pedlar was the first to serve his needs, and then the country
store, and as his circumstances improved his patronage of the latter
increased. As the merchant’s sales increased and the cost of carriage was
reduced he could not only lay his goods down for less money but could
subsist on a smaller margin of profit. Stores in the neighbouring villages
or townships created competition, and from these several causes the cov-
eted merchandise was gradually brought within the reach of the poorest
inhabitant. A few references to the growth and development of the
customer’s means and the tradesman’s sales will not be without their
useful lesson. In the “Testimonial of Mr. Roger Bates,” to which I
have elsewhere alluded, he writes: “As our family grew up in the Clarke
settlement my grandfather wished to see them well settled before he
died, and an opportunity offered by the purchase of a military grant
74 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
from George Shaw of 600 acres which they drew in 1804 in the vicinity
of Cobourg.
“Whilst the lands were being cleared and a log house erecting
they opened a small store close to the property now possessed by the
White family. Here my father, Stoddard Bates, and my uncle, Lew
Bates, planted an orchard, and we had a snug temporary residence. This
store was supplied with goods by Enoch Woods, who brought the first
assortment to Toronto. Everything at that time was very dear, but a
system of barter was carried on that was of advantage to all parties.
My father made a great quantity of potash which fetched at that time
a good price. This in part paid for his goods. On referring to the old
books now in possession of my mother I find some entries that give an
idea of the general prices of goods, which people then had to pay:
1804, Gimblet, $14, Padlock $14, Jack-knife $1, calico $114 per yard,
needles 1d. each, Ball of cotton $71%4, Board of pigs $1 dollar per week, old
axe $214, had to send them to Kingston to be ground, Tea 8s., bk. 19s.,
Halifax currency, barrel pork 27 to 30$ per barrel, flannel 6s. 3d. yard,
salt 6d. per lb., mill saw fourteen dollars.
“My father and uncle were partners in this store, which turned out
very profitable, as the settlers round were always in want of something
or other. The woods at that time were alive with deer and bears. Many
were killed by the Indians who traded off their skins dressed by the
squaws, which made useful garments.
“For a long time my grandfather had to go with some of his neigh-
bours all the way from Clarke to Kingston, 125 miles, with their wheat
to be ground there. They had no other conveyances than bateaux,
which were commodious as the journey would sometimes occupy five or
six weeks.
“Of an evening they put up into some creek and obtained their sal-
mon with ease, using a forked stick that passed over the fish’s back and
held them tight as with a spring.”
Either Mr. Bates must be in error as to the time expended in mak-
ing the round trip of 250 miles or much time was wasted owing to the
rough weather encountered on the south shore of Prince Edward
county.
The following account is copied from the original now on file
among the archives of the local Historical Society:
Mr. John Ham
1809 To Peter Smith, Dr. ig ps ae
Jan. 13 To 2 black silk handkerchiefs, @ 7s. 6d. ........ aptaem 1:
14% Balmy Pope, @ Is. 4d...... ey ’
—
>
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 75
f Paget © d.
Jan.18 100 Ibs. shingle nails, @ 1s. 114d. ........... 5 12 6
50 Ibs. plank nails, G@ 98..% cs asidivdiesactdelees Tey a «
BO Es. nails, @ O48 cade sivestvcicesss yinel oe ie oF
Feb. 6 To cash paid him amounting .............00005 4. 10. 6
23 To 1 piece white cotton 37% yds., @ Is. 10%4d. 3 10 . 3%
ay, yds. shirting, @).98.) éacseicdevedtartetas tan? 76
3%. yds. Irish linen, @ 32. G0 i..'6. cieawers cee oe Be
3 wine glasses, GG). F606 iss iecsawtewenas » Fr 10%
3 brown soap, @ Is. Id. ...... Jiovereds vanes io. See se
Cash paid him amounting to ..............06. sai) EBs As
Base TR PEMOG TE MONS ios eve vackscteveaseeees oot I Ar
BE er CO OE vn le voces onc dee tres ede Se 2a
Cash paid him amounting to ................ 0 te
ca BE! fe ree er tee cys e et | ae
Pee Ee DRETEL SVSEW FES. in 6 bases cpivewecasasadNes > eee
May 30 I can of tobacco weighing 234, @ 2s........... a
VERO COON, AG, os oye ce hati esetionste tees ‘tse
Sa PAT Alt ao CoO oda va e peed ey buildas Sie |
ee OC COE eR ine rn ee 7
Eee SOG avi ke she teehee ecedk mbaadehos y
2 muscovado sugar, @ 10d. .............00005 x”.§
SSUES NOE sok bv anes oe ahs Seca dbaveetest 2G
RPMS eS Shox hh ow ew Sadi slg ove wowed «Udi r en
EF ES INE DOC ios gods lean se Riltodees : ee
3 knives and forks, 12s. 6d. per set ........ G4
S atick Blocking Welly iy. fins ss vcvcuscecaweves 9
Cash paid him amounting to ................. I5 9
et. ta-To x barrel Liverpool galt oo. ..0ssibeaes oon 7s
ae! Geshel” Gittins Fire w os Means he ie wake ves Ries
The following is copied from the original upon the same files:
Mr. James Long
1809 To Rich & Robison, Dr. ie d.
Jan. 1 To balance as per acct. rendered ............. 10 3 9%
: Tat. wit pccewarrades tia ce es veces Se Ir 4
ee ee ee hor ee bes
$.do. dO.) overeeWeeaee ans «Gna wpcess ee
Edo. dd. Cp ee peered sv é< bea teats ae |
Edo. G0, © ceccnspesaeloadessss- Raat Swes E.G
4 yds. cotton, @ 2s. 6d. .............. Bi’, 10
3 handkerchiefs, @ 2s. Oo eae oe: ae
76
‘June28
July 20
Aug. 5
: ‘ - Trey). st
iv 2 SR, Oh eee
7 ee i 4
* > ane?
HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
TeOQt. whiskey 26) \s.5 ewes eee sh eee eave
I) uray. stone oe ss civ ines Suis 6 Je aikge EW Dy e's
to hat... ccc sen cwccs casas one eee
T haat «5 0 s.c)x'eissetnls ae icu ara as SoRee no i
3 Ibs. SA se. a FL EG Oe oe ee eee
£ 1b. POPPE ack ws ces on paws coes ins seek
2 handkerchiefs, @ 2s. ......... Fire vts
3 hike; thread: (3. cass pneu cba ea ee Ce
3) 1b: ene sl wk sens obese oR eee
36. yd. sori NASH so. Chis id bebe eee ees
“SE PROE PINS 15. oh cea 40.0 teres teas eee eee
4: yds. Bingal: stripe sic..<ccde de. Uses sh iss
TEP RE oe Dv oe caony. ds Wes ROOM OER RS
- 1% yds. yellow flannel ..............000-
2° 9GS. BHAICHOP, COU cos. oc! xen nic Ladin ye Ee
20S: SRtOD, CP BSUS oi. 40-<dv vies wo Vee eae
Byds. calico, (@ 4si 60: 06s 50 vier ec Bane Pied
TYG. MCE kb ow ad orn end soeted owe sane
$4. YOS. MUS 62 5.o 0 be reed cd Shee ee
g. hiks, thigad ).0csecspeves ceee Reerees se
4. Oks. thread). 5c ances aoe egy a es eee
Taylots thimble: z.....00ig0iteeataewe oko
Ve MUNG a cee ce earls Ra eit Mint aia oP a5
tT. spelling Hook... eccie ey tesine kwh Ces eek
2:d0z, butting, GG) fics ds cee atoas Yate
PL SNE BGR: co cmel ard civ ona iatate ea ED
3. gallons - SOsrits.s)..ica%0- bee ptlaew nen Meigs L
A handkerchief... 09s os duce Laalie sas ae
1% flannel 38,160. ss cjeiccwsare earsinrsieter nln vt os
4 th powderauc pres lane ere sk ee
4: Tbs. SHOE cL Jeocae Anema aie Bae big oe TE
t ib. snuff. 05 asics ces Seas ae
A spelling book ......... Viste s+ gta gers =
DL salt -. 0. icici ee oie eee een ee
Pe SNOW eo eles RR yl Pot ee
2% yds. cotton, @ 2s. ............ see eeee oe
ye Ib. allspice oie a. Roce ara rehe ebegee Ar ae
2 gallons spirits, @ 12s. ar BO Yeats bee ‘
Gan NNwWN DY DY DN Hw
See
r 126
I
12
5
3
a
“Phot
ak: ae
eee
2 6
¥. > 26
16
ae
4 8%
6.76
5
7
aha
a
a) ee
4
re
4
2
Po 6
2
16
~J
~I
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES
Pe
Cena GE, WTS . 0... sod eeieeueaeenedeene ates
ieee kee ENE. sw. ucla Chen eN eae te Baap xt
OR SMe WHR. . ns ccna cone Rabe eee esewes ;
x $ee. gray cloth +5 eSdatasacdde ade weer kia ky |
5G" s yas. cotton, @ 926i: Vile canes eh veneccouseds ats
I pr. Stockings .icjiesya kyeacenenee eee eee
A pocket handkerchief {0.000 00 )0i<s ceveneas me
¥ muslin handkerchief .....csc< a crcs.saceanscn 6
A shawl” aces Coe ee ere ee 3
¥ GAME: Kacnwcto ar eves itd acsenoeer eater me 3
R-VOR,. DONS Ks asinsce sd vax antcneetacunts Apt, Kee
: to 4
6
oO:
—
PWN HRP OWWWW YF
Be aN Se am, Ce ne Agar gm
Pe POR, COMO GE BB ota cs is ners cacchnckr ene te
Re WI Me CDR. Cow scdsncescinwusateans A A.
DELP EUEN UAE un ctat.cknscne ribo bs ann tye ee ie ae
Trew S MONON DONS cis cisco woth ce ae Saker eames
Th A MN 25 wh ed tu cate ast ees h era eens 3
PA EME. ckveei ete tectassgiure cet caewane 3
PCE Me PORES wide. cappialewspisciness sess ensaeleys leeakee
Ry: NE, TOROS sa ca sladacsaceasveagidu ean fein
ee Sas Sata pre are fe jee
@ wets knitting needles: 56006 =)
A country store-keeper’s ledger as a rule is not very interesting
reading, but a perusal of that of Squire William Bell, who conducted
many lines of business in the township of Thurlow, ninety years ago,
throws light upon the every day dealings of our grandfathers. As early
as 1797 the Squire was schoolmaster to the Mohawkg upon a salary of
£30 a year which was paid to him by drafts made upon Rev. John
Stuart of Kingston, agent for the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel. The departmental store is not a creation of the last few decades,
as the entries made by the Squire in the hand-made book, stitched with
shoe thread, now lying before the writer, reveal the fact that besides
being coroner for the Midland District and a justice of the peace issu-
ing summons, warrants, and executions he was a general merchant and
dealt in every article that his customers could reasonably expect to find
in a new country. Under date of May rst, 1823, we find the two fol-
lowing items charged to one Andrew Kenady:
mis Od
_ “For 6 gallons of whisky, @ 2s. 6d. ............2ceeeees 15
| Hor Court costs assumed for you /.:..:..............5- 4. 6
78 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The record is silent as to the relation these two items bear to each
other. The Squire dealt extensively in whiskey, selling it by the gallon,
quart, and bottle, and does not appear to have handled any other intoxi-
cant. It will be observed that the price is just about one fifth of what
it is to-day and the quality no doubt was quite up to the standard. The
store-keeper was the private banker of the neighbourhood, as in the
same account appear the two following items:
“Paid Robert Smith on your note taken up for you.... .. 9 7%
“Cash lent when going to Belleville ................. I
Many of his other customers were accommodated in like manner.
The last item in that account “for a sow with pigs £1, 5s.,” lends
a variety to their dealings not found in modern accounts.
The following items selected from the account of Jacob Kitchenback
for the years 1823 to 1830, inclusive, disclose a variety quite as remark-
able as the dealings with Kenady (Kennedy). It will be noted that
the Squire’s spelling, although he had been a school teacher, is not
quite orthodox, but the writer has seen much worse in our county town
during the past few months:
S30" "E:
“Hor One Pair Of SHOES) o..36v a. 04:9s Ba 5 cee oe BR sis
“For paid to. McClate oy cass ccs ee PETES Pe er pea 17 7%
“Postage paid: fora Tttet ois ons. is spine toe ean eee aes 2 Se
“For 2 summonses for Philps & Lewis ..............+05- BAR rs
“For ballance due me on dear skins .............eceeeeees 6.6
When settling with a customer he very wisely made a memorandum
of the fact, invariably stating the circumstances. The following memo-
randa at the end of this account are a very fair illustration:
“Jan. 14th, 1829. Settled with Jacob Kitchenback in full by an
agreement between him and myselfe and in presence of his son Edward
and a number of other persons, a calff skin and sheepskins due still,
which he is to deliver at Morrow’s Tavern in Belleville.
“Received the calf’s skin and some sheepskins due ¥%4 a sheepskin.”
In those days a few lasts, awls, and other shoemaker’s tools were
indispensable in every farm-house, and factory boots were practically
unknown. Nearly every man was his own cobbler, and the country mer-
chant sold the materials for mending boots, and in some instances Squire
:
é
*
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 79
‘Bell charged for making the repairs. Probably one of his many
employees officiated at the cobbler’s bench when not otherwise engaged.
The following items are gathered at random from his ledger:
ee
“For grafting a pair of boots for your man and finding
TOROS ig 0's ov sap e's bpp ARSE ae oe av 3G
“For one pair of half soles ....... nS Shee Nee ay ae in -s
Pror t yard of shoe linisg:..: c. cher che eek eh es oars
“For out soles for your wife’s shoes ..............e00e- eae
“For sole leather and making your shoes ................ Ps oe
“For leather for a pair of men’s shoes ..............ceeee0- 10
This singular entry, perhaps for a one-legged customer, also
appears:
PME ORG: DUIS OF BHORS 5...¢ o's!es.c Pacis. > apdes cee vvees 5
There must have been a seamstress in connection with the estab-
lishment as we find several charges similar to the following:
fae
“ror a cotton shirt and making .:.........ccccccaveeses eee
wor cotton and thread for a shirt .....00..cnccanesmesie 5. 6
UNE GUNN a Ph akan pos Xp 00k eRe eee eae aed tae 2
Trimmings and making a pair of pantaloons ............ ae
Cotton for 2 shirts .......... Was ee abcaan es Od o/tip et eae’ tf) Gs
Deere ad tare LOF “GHNG ie isdn aa ca te bade Cee we 5
ng horas eee eR PE Ceti et hie y. 5
For making a pair of pantaloons finding thread, silk, and
TOME SWE 5a Cec aren Rae wet e Ne be kK2 Uh a wee a ee 7
He occasionally dealt in live stock as is shewn by the following
items :
. E @i) Be
ee DOT OL OEM ats C abe ba ks atts he oe Tihs a ee
mee yonke and Hows iissscacusede ets fis sce ses oe ie 0s creme Bee:
“For a pair of steers sold you at Belleville ............ 6 10
“For a heifer to St. Pier the French man ........... 2 15
“For a cow and calff which is to be returned if not paid
See S Rosca RM ADCS 820 B 6 oe Gre os 4 15
“There appears to be no end to the Squires’ resources for earning a
few shillings, as we find a charge against George Kitchenback “For the
ti
aaa
an
¢-
80 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
use of my horses to break up 12 acres of land, etc., and putting in the
seed.” Other entries for horse hire appear:
tir S, gg
“For the use of a horse to Rawdon, 4 days at Is. 3d....... 5
“Kor 2 days of my horse. .45'0i is. 0.68 es Ge See Bae a 5
For my horses and slay to the big Island Marsh for a load
OED ROY nse cd cln ds cetaes $s dndbee led sate eee 5
He rented his oxen in like manner—
“One day of tyy omens 55 55.0249) 43-4) a ee 3 6
Another customer who purchased some pork and had some writing
done was charged
6) a
“For keeping a span of horses one night ........... eit <u eee
The following account is quite characteristic of the many bewilder-
ing roles in which the Squire figured in his dealings with his cus-
tomers:
“Thurlow, Aug. 11th, 1823
James Limburner
To Wm. Bell, Dr.
s d.
For an emetic from Doctor A. J. Williamson ............ 2
For cash sent in a letter to George Ridout, Esq., for you. 15 ..
Paid the postage of the above letter to York ............-- | aes
Cashiat Grepware'’s Shop css 5 sistd sino a eee eres @ <ven
Aug.25 For 2 summomses) tigi code seous eee) saiceee ee:
For a subpesiae3e0s danas Word ele Raileo nies ek 6
26 Cash at Belleville for postage of a letter .......... I (ets
Oct. 5 Paid for taking your tool chest and your selfe to the
Nappanmnee Mils) oc sass snes cco basin tase 10. 7Ge5
Keeping a horse 10 days in pasture ........-.... Saha
Costs paid in Court for you ......scseccseerae-
Paid Campbell for you .....esceecesceegusngess 12° Gi
For board and lodging when sick, weeks @ 7s. 6d.
‘per week .......scsciseveverascossseseuas £11
Among the other interesting facts to be gathered from the fore-
going account we may observe the excessive postage upon the two letters
and that our county town was then known as “the Nappannee Mills.” as
Be
a
a ae
5 et
ae
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 81
The Squire also rented a house, but accurate as he usually was in
his figures I cannot follow him in his computation of the rent charged
to one Joseph P. Huyck in the following entry:
P oe Ree»
“Dec. 4th, 1829. House rent from May 4th, 1829, to Dec.
wah FM. @ 103, Codi cueescans pen Cee eas 4
»
In a more dignified capacity than that of mending boots and making
shirts does the Squire appear at times:
&
“For a trip to Judge Fisher’s with slay and horses..... I 10
“For going with you to Taylor and searching record
WE CN a as eke ae ee Thin ak eee PR RE f 5
“For writing and attending on an arbitration between
AS) MEME SORE MOON (nite a's ocd opens ess Gaicps es ci oe oe
“Attending you arbitration at Shannonville with Soper .. 7 6
In the good old days the people borrowed from their neighbours
with the usual results, but the Squire kept a strict account of the break-
ages and articles lost, a plan that might prove advantageous to the
lender if adopted in our day:
ee
ee Me MOL UNE i is Nd dive denis sivisie'a t's Mewes te ~ 2 es
Par Ont tent St Giflerent: tires: oa hse ok cee ss certs Sa oe
For the cutter broke by Augustus ................... 2 Tika ot
For tobacco lent at different times .................. yea: “ay
For 4 loaves of bread lent your men and not returned... .. 3 6
An ox ring broke and not repaired nor any furnished
We PORROCE: Oe te 4 ds coh c Carebhe a Ma ce ea hle-ges capreeem free
For corn and pease borrowed and not returned........ eS
The following items gathered from his various accounts enlighten
us as to the prices charged ninety years ago, and further illustrate the
endless variety of the store-keeper’s stock-in-trade:
fs g5. 18
“For a bushell of onions to your brother .......... aE. Ge
For 10 bushells of apples, @ Is. 3d. ..............05- ee Ce ie
meme many. Sect of lati, Srpras eas Seka c tye cee ME Al AR
mma aeple trees, G@) 74. dice wns Sale ee iw ists vesece ces A 16
Por slabs pr -agreament ..1..0:3 02s ect os i ve Se ee “Pe ve
Ree ate a Kid skint .sJk sce te Gendered ase) e er ee eee
For 2 loads of wood by my son ee, ae: ae
For a pair of sleigh runners .........4./..0....- kes att — Ss
82 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
To halt a quige Of paper, .... >... sa te eee a ec
For 20 bushells of potatoes at 2s. per bushell ..........
Por 1 hashell beets. ..... 6... 505 00d cde ee eee
For 2 bushells of onions, @ 7s. 6d. ..............4. ae
Nor -3 bushells of carrots, @ §s. .- 59... saeceneen eee
For 4 asshells turnips, @ 18... <. 5.555200 8a ones .
TO doe IDs. DECI D 30. Ss. ss saws cy sh vou oer 2
For ‘one pound 2obB006 . 5. 7sOuivea cs cose oe nee eee
For ¥ Goxeil QWi DAGGs sco scan pica Yo aes eee
Hor'14 bushells of wheat, @ §5. .... 2.) 2.500505seer ee
For 2 cotton handkerchiefs, @ 1s. 2d. ...............
Ror: 435 -ias, Orne 00 Da 5 oa ye ee ae Mae
For 356: Ths, tres pork, TW WS. i oni ealds en dpa sons
For 238 feet 114 plank clear stuff .................. os
For 484 feet 734 boards @ 45s. 6d." .........000te00- I
BRT ANY 1OCE YN DORTAB: fo i.cleeie de kien vus oannadin LOneS I
For 300 seasoned siding, @ 5s. 6d. ...........e- eee Se
For a mill gudgeon 99 Ibs. at 6d. per pound .......... 2
hos 2 Hanwell shirts, (2 125.6. 203i ca5 vanes ean ad ee I
TO CATIOS, CUES © havin OE ted Fu Woe ES ne NS
For a pair of ribed socks .......... dogo OS ese pene
— eS
nH HNN ND HH DD UNUN
+
—
ie)
WH
kr eum OoO WwW
An auction sale possesses a fascination for most people, and espe-
cial interest must have been taken in that of Daniel Haight held at
Adolphustown in 1829. He was a prominent man at the time, the
father of eleven children, and the year before his death he held a dis-
persion sale or vendue as it was called. The conditions of the sale as
announced over his signature were as follows: “Any person purchas-
ing, and not to the amount of twenty shillings, must make immediate
payment, and those purchasing to that amount or upwards must give
satisfactory security or the property will be exposed to a second sale.
If it sells for more he is to reap no benefit, but if for less he is to make
good the first sale. All that comply with these conditions shall have
one year, without interest, to make payment in, and if at the expiration
of that time they come forward and pay one half they shall have one
r for t the other half b ing interest.
yea i Oo pay the o alf by paying interes Daniel Haight
N.B.—The security first entered in the list is to stand for the pur-
chase by that individual for which his name is first entered. True copy
of conditions of sale made public at the day of sale.
R. Haight”
eee ee
a a
o--*
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 83
The following inventory of his household furniture will throw con-
siderable light upon the manner in which the early houses were furnished.
Although he was a man possessed of no small amount of this world’s
riches, as appears from the inventory of the sale, and had some literary
taste, as might be inferred from an inspection of his library, yet in the
house we find the most expensive single article of furniture was the
kitchen stove. This, too, was the only stove in the house, which was no
doubt heated by the old fashioned fireplace. Blankets and quilts there
were in abundance, but bedsteads were few. One was of fancy cherry;
and doubtless the pride of the good wife’s heart, and sacredly reserved
for the use of visitors were the set of light calico curtains and the
“teaster sheet and cloth” used to decorate this article of furniture. The
most of the family probably slept upon folding bunks, which served as
seats in the daytime, and as bedsteads at night.
“A Memorandum of the Household Furniture, 4th month, 1829.”
./ og He
M: NCE WORIMDE adie dia a'eteian't @ vinicane’aye aralen ences S30
RENO UNE SERED Vo! he:eGierate aise amrath ates side Shsie ie Whaat 5
SNE OME DOOOE bade srin'd ¢:4/a,39 oeURes oe AASee be ee 7
I Is O5icigidiaie Pwa clk slain site ld ati te Aes Gmn eee Ceaer
MIME Cd cia leh. cce (uisdiceacdenk wo ew odes nh des 4% + 30
a REET er. TOPPER ETT CCE 6
6 Windsor chairs, 45s., 6 chairs, 18s. ..........2..0-- St se
1 cherry bedstead and cord, 24s. ............eeceees ay |
Sek ee OUTRO, ORR ida cee v adianew ce Chew Gan ewan :
4 window curtains, 1 stand cover, 2s. .............00. ree ¢
14 white flannel blankets, good ................-000- %2' 12
S check blankets, - 208. 2.65. &sse008- SL aes bn eiak oats Se i.
meeersoed, Diankets. 156; \ i. cathe sig tele vak.o des siento 2 14
ens. WANDS RB ica nae kde baa Mesa Ske cunatices i 9
ECE, BOR, XT CLRGIS GRU BB alan cids. viet ence ene awtia's 7 19
DEGMIOAdS aNd COTES ic cspie ikke do keto o bile gave Den
1 bedstead curtains and mattrass .............0000005 2. 10
Seen. bed. ticks, SE. — svcd wea tev s/e baiceine o sie oye e135
2 cotton sheets, 7s., 3 linen sheets, 7s. ..........5.... ee ee
I set light calico curtains, Teaster sheet and cloth..... $. ane
mio -Daskets <2. «2k gum eeeae Mtoe hades Os.04s.0e0'evs rey Per
3 sets of upper valance, head cloths and Teaster sheets... I 15
2 ink bottles, Is.; sugar box, 1s.; bread dish, Is....... : ee
I pair spoon moulds, 7s. 6d.; 1 pitcher, Is. ; ; Pepper box, Is >... 6.
Butter ladle, 1s.; fat bottle, 18. O@s. stats ee ere 2-9
“
Y '
84 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
€. Sen ee |
{ pair.gold.scalesand weights |... ..:'s 4 csansea bie eee Scie): oe
I pair pippe tongs, 3s. gd.; copper tea kettle, Ios. .... .. 13 9
1 knot dish “chopping bowl” ....... 5 sais dhe A RRs ey). G2
I iron pot, 5s.; 10 gal. cask, 4s.; meat tub, 5s. ..... are ©
Wash tub, 3s.; dye tub, 3s.; pickle tub, 4s.; soap tub, 3s. .. 12
Teplaieg’ Diditket a5, 5. 5.2 k aian'hs seis OMS ales alse eee ow OAS
t’map of the: Holland purchase ©.5:.).3.5sj6l.5 elvis Cease at |
I map United States, 5s.; 1 map England, Ireland, etc. .. 11
I large Bible, 15s., 3 vols., Clarkson’s Penetrations, 20s. I 15
it Buchan’s: Domestic medicine! 2.530.544 ..5 sswsobnewnn Pat: See |
2 vols. Brooks’, 6s. 3d.; 3 vol. Pownal, 3s. god. ........ ix 10 |
1 Seis Sspensabor ys fae ahs Seine Ty do te ad eae ina WS as .
3 pair under valance, 2s. 6d., and 7s. 6d.; 4 window cur-
RENAE: WINISE 5 x Od Walesa 5 + ose Dea a ee eee 52
I set muslin vallance, 2s. 6d.; 4 tablecloths, 3s......... 2a ae 26
CPOE, NOS ew kann s eaod a dlon Les nee SET RR De a oe
Oe Ee a EES eee Ler ere Tree LT ree ee ef eee
BS PPASAy CAUMICANICES. O60. os oS gue Sx sans casas kee e heehee a Se
I iron basin, 3s. 9d.; 1 smoothing iron, 3s. 6d......... See Diets,
a RMON 4.5 is 6 own wwe see ko coveen tates eam oe ae
14 pair pillow cases, 2s. 6d.; 2 bolster pillow cases, 2s. I 19
4 téather beads. G08. os bead 6s eee enor eee 12
© terels;. 252 53 tin Mots $8. Pewee soa eae eee ee eee
3 milk pans, 2s. 6d.; g metal spoons, Is. .........+--- +, Eee
D-Eiver ‘Spoons, SA, 2) 6 ceo ona W's nen we a ee ey
16-Gase knives and-7 forks. 45.4: i Sts ace ees eae avi ee
Aten Cstihisters,..15.:30. os ckase pees es I gehen Mite gk ee See
i tin tea pot, 2s.; 4 tin, basins, t9::Gde ican s ea sees <3 ae.
2 decanters, 3s. Od.; 2 wine glasses, 9d. ........ Pbk. Bi ae aN
iva eel glass jar. ......sskeaeewaeauars kar eee Ree ga «ah, i eae alee
T Blee-edeed platter .. 6s. vives ages eesti mes Nite Ea iat ete AGP
I green-edged plate, 1s., 1 oval dish, 9d. ............ 149
I pewter platter, 4s.; 9 earthern plates, 6d. .......... en
I bowl, 6d.; cups and saucers, 4s. 6d.; 2 sugar bowls,
PRC Ginn cise nn axed ee er een 7 26
II saucers and cups, 4s.; 2 gal. jugs, Is. 2d. .......... ene)
1 Elliott Medical.-Pocket Book ........cs0s00s00s08000 ne
1 Franklin Sermons ........... a Torta Bee hy = iin wala eae ho eee
1 Stackhouse’s History of the Bible ................- 2 6
2 vols. Brown’s Union Gazeteer .1........0+eeeeeeees y me
vol. 16th, Report British and Foreign Bible Soc..... 2 6
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 85
vol. History of the United States of America ........
VOL Ebias Picks’ sermons. .chssaee ond ane vada sh.
wols. Newton's. Letters .... sc ccwsanauhdionstceav ces
Wo. Ricketson on Health ...2. sues. waeme vee ues
wou. jereey Eurgy «0.0 s.csasetveuscs ensued Vaaes
vol. Memorials Deceased Friends ................+.:
wol. Harvey's Meditation: 05 tensnties cys nsivied than
Wok. Reply to. Hibbard! avicastgede Hansa. wipbioneeass
vol, John, Scotts Journal. oo. oy choy yaar ens cas
vol. Barclay on Church Government ..............
vol. Abridgment of Morse’s Geography ............
WOE Olt GRIST 5 sos 0's 5 gc acn cele d 040s Gan sea nh CRS
vol. Works of the late Dr. Franklin ................
vol. Journal of Richard Davis .............0200e08:
vol. Lessons from the Scriptures ................6-
CONUS OY MIG. a cis k vate pking t.0 3s o ames tase
vol. Sequel to the English Reader .................
Ore et NU NWNHMN ss HH HUN AN
fo
Ott at OOO
Awaa:
114 18 8
An examination of the following list of property disposed of at the
sale will reveal the fact that the stock of an Adolphustown farm of
eighty-four years ago would compare favourably with that of most
farms in the same district to-day. In the inventory we miss the binder,
horse-rake, and other farm implements in such common use to-day,
although the fanning mill appears to have arrived upon the scene.
“A List of property sold at vendue, January 26th, 1829, belonging to
Daniel Haight of Adolphustown.”
ARTICLE SoLtp To SURETY
4 s- d.
BMNIOWS)...2. 2.6. ra ine i Ricketson Haight. .../Consider Haight. .... 2 0 0
SNIINED os css es cee eees Consider Haight....|Ricketson Haight....} 119 6
SISA SSSoeneo _ Ae Sete - Oo eel aga
_ 6 Sheep, first choice..... Ricketson Haight... .|15/3 per head.,.....| 4 11 6
I ee es Oh jugien Samuel Dorland..... 14/3 or, aeheueen ete
ie ~ *¢ ,....|Ricketson Haight....|10/ John D. Haight... 5 0 0
menee* 6/9 per head... .|Phillip, FIMIBRE. ci ss). ses eee eee eees 314 9
0 ene pe eS ee eee eer ey
OS See ? iO A eee wines too ee oor
86
HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Cake Pan and 2 Tin do.
Chair and Sundries....
Consider Haight....
ee
AUS 5 5a a's d's dle'a'6.6.68's 05 4 Fees ha PAN eee ye NS
ROEM bo.e'we eS 'ee ) ss08 bis ONG BEM ES cs xis Ss nilyg ss 5.5 9%-6's= eee
-Handsaw.. iy ka aie eo COORIGOL NIGIBNE SS 5 ules evvon! sb y rene
Waggon Chair (5). tighe eg Ricketson Haight... .|......¢ re ree
Pruning Knife ........ Ricketson Haight. . ....) 060i ss coerce
Handsleigh (6)........ 4 SS Gp an sp eale eatgtal iiureneee
CORMIER aa ct os hoes Consider Haight... ASN... s.cuie be os wares
MN Op ehuenesecareorge Bedlé,... is) Edwin Mallory......
Set Dutch Harness (7). Ricketson Haight....|....... 2006's. eae sins
Collarsand 4 trace chains|Marvil Garrison.....|..ceeeseveeceeee Sas
Neck Vokeo's4'i.4..0%5% James Ackerman, Sr./|Ricketson Haight...
Pocket Compass....../John Clapp......... Paids.scstisns pan a
Set Harness..........|Daniel Ruttan....... ccc cescecees eae
Ox Carte. s.<'sss'ceseveicOnsider Haight... 5. |. adhe aceon seuaen s
CRAM Sei aa nee pales i er “ eescslevcanc ee as
ARTICLE SOLD TO SURETY
4s. d:
ERR oe cia 0-3 <0 os Daniel Ruttan....... (Son-in-law) ........ 1 13
2 (A SA Consider Haight :.:5). suas see sees aos 2 8
Ms 5 wikis vacate in ek s ‘fy aad cos hea eee <n 12
ee ee Ricketson Haight., ..fi..sessapeoe aes 6 10
ei ee Sa Consider. Haight.;. .\.1.-s.0000 vawsmenes 2 15
1 Ricketson Haight..... ea dee hantes sO KU sels 655050 Se rece o <e
eR en we rey Noxon Barris (350-75 Marvil Garrison oeeteiaks 4 0
Be hn 5 ae hates ane Job Dunham........{/John Dunham....... 3 12
MS RSS ica’ dha Rita ein Ricketson Haight...) ¢00cuws fund een eee 4 10
LD SS gaat Ea ewes via Moe RUDE PMO NE 5 vices 1k ee ee eee eee 3.19
t PARSE take ose oes Ricketson Haight, . 6b. save enone 1 15
h Voie xen ss i ea ea Consider - Haight :...o 0.5.50. a ale ees 23 0
A TOPS fg os had sah Seg as Phillip: tinight.7 3.0.2} 3. dies one ater 25 12
L ORMED ete ites Fase Consider: Haight. ios}. ic ontske box aee 12 1
LTE CO 5 an Samael PinigUe . .ssz 2 chsh sates al is Satie oe we 17 14
EU PARUBE Koh e aip ds ale Wee John Mullet......... (Son- in-law) Pre TE eS se tI
EG lances hss tS en Rowland Haight.....|...... eaneeoe es 19 17
D MGOUEE ion 0.662 v'eie's e's ts OUSIGED "PAGISUE sare) fess ves ues ta eee 2 9
1 Fanning Mill.......... Ricketson Haight....|....... sokee bass 1
l- Sow and Pigs... «ses Consider TASIGHE oc) scsi ec ve ee uae 1
1 Potash Kettle (1)...... Daniel Ruttaacs oot ws ve vkeseeewness 3
1 Set Fiarmess ss. v.:3. see Consider Haight....|....... re yrs es,
; Aeaek Dae (2). 2.09% Ricketson Fiaight.; 2-1, +5 ssss0eR6% ee
1 Sleigh..... ent dm ews sine Marvel Garrison... 1) 5.04'c'4s c\Suie wae ein see 5
1 Saucepad (3) ...s0, <.<.(Ricketson Haight. . 0.1. 4ssaesws on vaeehes
1 Pui: es Giak eM bie sive ciels RS se see eeeeoeee @eeeeeeee
DS Oda ele ow oe heer es Andrew Quackinbush R Ricketson Haight..
FB ADs 0 s.0<nws'9.0'0:0'0s + nom OOSMOF pe ee oa isng eae aie
f PASE. i s0's Tr reryre yn Ricketson Haight. (21.4%. 54 c4a wees
I
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
6
6
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
WOOT AMPAMRROAWOARAWOWWwoDddDORDOonoocococoscoacocoocosoaan
Pe eee ee ee ne eel el cel el el el el el el el ee ee
‘TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 87
ARTICLE SOLD TO SURETY
fe ts Oi
CMM 6 662s Sb 0 ices Adam Ackerman....|Jas. Ackerman, Sr...| 1 4 2
Two Horse Waggon...|/Ricketson Haight....|..........0.++eeees 18 °2 0
DE UO vecebecccuscss Phillip Garrison.....|Marvil Garrison..... E633
String Bells..... e'sew'es Phillip Haight. ....clevccccceccescsccees 16 8
Wood pt. of Waggon..|Daniel Ruttan.......[e.seeeeeeeeeees «eesh eee
- .. Samuel Dorland..... <esdones enbuoweasud 4 5 0
Cheese Hoop (9)....... ob: Dunas. 4? .'0k:6. law on schon beeee wees 3.0
Copper Kettle......... John Clapp........-. ig |) eer Ir 6 1
Griddle (10)... cessee|micketson Haight, . 6 o}iis' 0. pee vcs ee eens i. 4
Toasting Iron......... John Clapp......... PONG ss Waly Cosees ete ears 2 9
Flesh Fork...........|George Bedle....... Paid in Work....... 9 2
Pair Steel Yards (12)...|Reuben Haight......|...... éupeen <nee's 14 3
Lantern and Basin..... eae CHS serous ccssbednne sees’ ae,
Pestle and Mortar (13).|Ricketson Haight....|...... vet<onliat 6 3
Apple Peeler (14)...... s OO ceesloccccercccccece 4 0
OE, MROECRE ss ain oc ccc LAMOE RisthaR cic coclsdaduenesereces 3 8
Heckle (15)...........|James Ackerman,...|...... ee yaee 1 6
Tin Horn (16). ....22%. et ETE Oe EERE Ee 12 90
Cradle wcccccncvvccces eg ee Pee eee eee ee 17 61
Basket and Shears..... Rashes: alent ia. has: fo an Sew teGeulws 2 8
oe ee yn | EP Serr ares arp 2° 1
Spider ..cccccccccvces Reuben Haight...... ig Mh daw ep ayeratccghesetaias 5 4
Tea Kettle. ....0s.c00. pe DP, Ss a rere 12 0
Py 4 are) See eee mre etn 10 0
CRAB. wnececedewess ce Phillip Garrison..... POM cct es bsk vee 4 8
Tabs scvovs secccseses Ricketspu- Timignt,. s ilsindceents ete e tbe 3" 4
Keeler and Bow! CET sR ais. Veni na ecw nie aes oe 3.8
Fee (18) x. a:s 20's ve oan | RICRMUROTE FARM MESS Voda wa us dad wethertaeciels 3,9
Trays and Bowls eT se eee Cee eerie eerie -
Trays. geevetsées o coco AWE. MAMOPY vsiscislededec'cevicwes's Trt 1} <3
Reape ce orede OU MINOR Asi vetclictoncsteusskeaee 1 5
Cheese Knife ip a'en tee a oS Se, er ees ear i? 2
MIE TS a's nid \a n's'e"6:6 ofan gt REMMI Fes lle! Tile > aie'nc ee ses eset 3 0
TT eee 8 Ls Pe es re a
UD wc cccccvcccccces.(meuben Haight...... coe sevccer vecceees 13.0
BOW! ou ccc cece ce cove John Clapp... ..... ie SA rye rer 3) 9
BRDE Sb :n'o'v:0:2 0:0's' oi ce'a'e.a'c ERMAN GAEETIMOR \6 56 5 erence 4 1
Sa Aerie a errr |
EMD occ coc ceviasce pe) Up A Ae eee eee 4 6
Five-pail Kettle (19)...|John Frederick...... John Dafoe......... ae Se.
Whip................|John Clapp oO Oa PUN ics initials s Lacstons iy}
EE, 6. gip'ti'n:0-0'0'0" evooe--+-(Lewis Lazier........|..-; WDalape dase d mele aot 1 10
SEPERATE Oe, ask: Sete tid. » Fed edeinwar a weeee 1 @
1 Waggon Chair......../George Bedle....... Cpu Vedeceees se, bcelse Ti 2
1 Bedstead and Cord (20).|\Consider Haight ....|......eeeeeeseeees 19 0
ESS ag ee ee eee 12 6
Oe ey ee EOWIS BOS Vides ble desiee vs cases wees 3.9
88
HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
ARTICLE SOLD TO SURETY ;
.
4s. ds
1 Table... pp aren eet, rer Joho Clapp «siesta Rhee ee eas teabae eek 112 0 @
2 Half Rounds (21)...... 4g eS es PER. cg coe bers 05 2 2.5 Og
RR ainnie ky oe a0'e oj 08.0 Lewis Lazier.....4.¢ PSIG. wk sas ake ® 1 9
1 Half Bushel Measure. ..|Edwin Mallory......|........0002e00 ee Log
DERG Ce picket eee’ Daniel Ruttat 2i6<s)s<ix. 5 evgaeereemnes a
> Peer Chest... 6. cbse es Ricketson Haight! ss: of s.24,.0:¢ 2045 av oe
l Pair Sieves. ....:.+< eoee 8 a An Bergan rate tt 5 6
1 Patent Plough (22)..... Phillip Garrison..... Pad ss 35 4s xem eens 2 6 9
5 PAN os k's Hae a ve bo Reuben Haight .....|. odeescons een ewade 2 9 38
LSE oo esas Daniel Ruttaa. 0.5.0: bavss he semceesshon ee 2 5 O@
1 Pohl Sia Cet hie eserves Consider Fiaight..\::. 21 sau es cea earnet oaeeee 18 6 @
1 Cradle (23).........+. Ricketson Haight ...|,..csscseeeseeevees 7 6-9
1 Set Blacksmith’s Tools |Consider Haight.....|..........eeeee sees 10 1 Om
l. Pitch Fork. <:. «4s. (24)\Samuel Borland..... Raid 53. . acon rs 411 q
1 Cradle and Scythe..... Lewis Lazier ........ Andrew Quackenbush 8 3
‘So Ae eee eee ¥s as : <4 ¥ l *
MG BO GOED 4 oko) 4% es 5 ie mila Oe 9 a 9 0:
Fe Ae ey eee Ricketson Tatehh. ccwiosass’ 0 6s Gs oiideuks 8 5
yy Aree Consider Haignt- cu ciitssGe vec kseeneyes wes 1 OS
DL EUMECAOE ea kos reads eses Ricketson Haight. ....}.% G06 sen seuee 9\siete 1 11
lL: Scythe and Soath,.,...<|Reuben Haignt.css civ dviess. cab icgens seks 4 2
Beg Vt SE Aer Ricketson Haight: 0] secles dae ve var shee 1. 5 oe
es et eS eee Rowland: Haight a 06s454564ver8 23 hee 13 9
LBRO Sig eae ete s 29M br Ricketson Hatontc. iii ienesis eurex ee ts & 9a
1 Combus Table (25)..... “ igereee ees Was mere etree hg eS 3-7
A lot of things intheshop|Consider Haight.....}...... cee eeueeee L.9 4
A box of bucks........ hy OF a. 5 Semahw dae ile ta ae he ee 3.9
Sundries ..... sw Reo eaR Ricketson Fiat oad o5'33 ip bs aR 8 3
OY eS er oe Ricketson Hattht. ele sss oes de eae ean 2 9
i dering Stone 26.6,» Isaiah Thombaiss cdetevs see et eet ee eee 116 6
i, Panchon and Coder. -. :|Daniel Rutten 2.00 it inns oe we ae ee oe 2 1a
1 Empty Pipe........ os ficketson EHaightic Ha)ssieey shes « <' stigic ane 4 3
1 Spade and Shovel..... Georee Bealesids sé soli: 03> yo +s ov ee weeas 10 5s
ey eS rere Ricketson, Faigintc. 5.) +i (eis ¢ yp noes a 4 6
1 Hoeand Clevis ....... Bs A. | fevicall cand tk ee eee ee 2 2
1 Hand Irons and Tongs.|Consider Haight ....).......seeeee sees I 4
¥ Pe Gt SS. sacks xs o> s SO). iets aisha tae arene ose, De
2 Tons of Hay..... isa as Onn. Mullette. |. <class eee ee ee 2.17
t Broad Ae e0 sins cus Ricketson Haightsi(.|isaissnsawanbe putes 8 3
1 Beetle and Wedge.....|Consider Haight.....}........0.2+20u ees 9 3
B TCOWe ssa ou cena he ee Daniel Ruttan 4445 cchcshicaces seul 7 9
1 Ox Yoke eseeceee . |Consider Haight .... eeeeecee oe eves 1 3
[fon : «cae edenve ceaven icketson Haight...s)3.3 cups eeatee 2
1 Grindstone.......... sslConsider Haight .. iss} +s:0'8 sanyo een ® oe 7 oa
1 Chair .5.-..0s.00+0sennn prioketson, Haight.é, climes ccsman ea eaten 2 3
|
|
o
w
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 89
Notes
“1. Potash Kettle-—This was a very large iron cauldron which would
hold three or four barrels of water, sometimes more. It was called so
because it was used for boiling down the lye obtained from hardwood
ashes. Nearly every farmer who could afford it had one. It was
inclosed by a stone plastered wall having at one side an opening to
receive wood, and on the other side a flue to produce a draught and
permit the smoke to escape. Its rim rested on the top of the inclosure
and at an elevation sufficient to allow a fire to be made under it. By
this means the water was evaporated more speedily from the alkali, or
impure carbonate of potassa, a white metallic substance used for many
purposes. It was one of the few things in demand which brought money
in those days, and hence the ashes from the wood heaps and the house
were carefully preserved.
“2. Leach Tub.—This was usually made of boards, of oblong shape,
and in the form of a “V”—barrels were often used—and secured on a
thick plank, with a slight incline to carry off the lye. Before filling the
tub coarse straw was put in the bottom over which some lime was scat-
tered, and then it was filled with ashes, after which water was applied
day after day, until the alkali had been all washed out, when it was
conveyed to the kettle and treated as above.
“3. A flat-bottomed pot with a cover, otherwise called a baking pot.
They are still in use but of less consequence now. The good house-
wife in those days had not dreamed of cook stoves. If she wanted to
make a stew, she raked a few live coals out in the hearth and set this
contrivance upon them.
“4. Note refers to payments.
“s. Waggon Chair.—This was a strong splint-bottomed seat capable
of holding two persons comfortably, and three at a pinch, made to sit
on the inside of the box of a lumber waggon—the farmer’s carriage
then. As the waggon had to be used on the farm the box was movable
and usually painted. If a visit was contemplated or a meeting attended
on Sunday, the box was put on, the chairs placed and covered with
buffalo skins or quilts.
“6. Hand Sleighs were about as useful in those days when the
ground was covered with snow as a wheel-barrow is in summer now.
“7. Dutch Harness.—In contradistinction to harness in which collar
and hames are used, quite common now, but not so then.
“8. This is a long saw with a handle at both ends, a cross-cut saw,
used for sawing timber and an important implement at that time.
90 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“g. A wooden hook eight or nine inches deep and fourteen or six-
teen inches in diameter in which the cheese curd is put and pressed.
“to. Griddles have not gone out of date, but the griddles of that
time had hoop handles with an eye in the top which enabled the cook
to turn it round. When in use it was suspended over the fire by' an
iron hook fastened to the crane.
“tr, Flesk Fork.—Used to turn meat in the pot.
“12, Steel Yards.—Every farmer had them. As there was a great
deal of barter going on then they were a necessity.
“13. Pestle and Mortar.—Very common in farmhouses then and
useful. There were numbers of things required for culinary and other
purposes that could not be reduced by any other means.
“14. Apple Peeler—A little machine for peeling apples. A great
improvement on the knife and a prominent feature at apple bees.
“15. Heckle-—A wooden instrument used to free the fibre from the
stalk of the flax.
“16. Tin Horn.—Used to call the men to their meals. Many a time
in my young days have I awaited its pleasant call. |
“17. Keeler and Bowl.—The first a shallow wooden vessel of two or
three gallons capacity used for holding milk in the place of tin pans
which were not easily to be had, and were expensive. The bowl was a
wooden dish usually made out of ash knots by the Indians, who were
experts in making these dishes and numbers of other useful things for
the house, such as splint brooms, spoons, ladles, trays, baskets, etc.
which they exchanged for provisions.
“18. Trays.—An oblong wooden dish-made by the Indians, and used
principally by the housewife for manipulating butter.
“19. Five Pail Kettle—A pot that would contain five pails of water.
“20. Bedstead and Cord.—The old post bedstead has disappeared
with its straw and feather ticks. The posts were morticed to receive
the beams. The latter were pierced with holes about nine inches apart,
through which the cord was passed lengthwise and crosswise and then
drawn as tight as possible with a wrench made for the purpose. This
held the frame together and supported the. bed.
“21. Half Rounds—The half of a circular table which could be
drawn out and pieces put in to extend its length, or they could be placed
at the ends of another table. ‘They were usually made of cherry. |
“22. Patent Plough——This was a cast-iron plough with a wood
beam and tail. It was first made, I believe, by Willet Casey, and a great
advance on the old ones which were made altogether of wood, except
the sabre which was of wrought iron. My father had one and sometimes
' TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 91
used it, but it was a clumsy implement and discarded as soon as pos-
sible.
“23. Cradle—At that time the only implement in use for cutting
grain.
“24. Blacksmith’s Tools.—Farmers and their sons were their own
carpenters, blacksmiths, and, to a large extent, also harnessmakers,
shoemakers, coopers, and waggonmakers.
“25. Combus Table.—Probably some kind of an extension or folding
table.”
The next ten or fifteen years witnessed a decided change in the
class of goods handled by the country merchants, or the ordinary cus-
tomers from Richmond and Fredericksburgh were more fastidious in
their tastes than those who dealt with Squire Bell. The writer has
examined the original day-book of David Roblin for the year 1838, and
parts of the years 1837 and 1839, and finds a great change in the class
of goods sold. He carried on business as a general merchant on the
Deseronto Road near the present residence of Mr. Herchimer Ayles-
worth. The following items are not exceptions but fairly represent the
class of goods which passed over the counter week after week during
the year:
ae ee |
ee ee ee eee ee eee eee pany, Saeageee
ON a CR eee re ete eee we it (ee
Wm eNNes Cn) FG. Ges 64 oa oy oii aes ab Oeloy dada as) SE
NCEE: TR WOME, 5 854 eieta inks chs a(kn Ve Wiis Re ae kA Riper ied a
muxG. bunhele: ashes; Gy) 10d... oi c.cacncidssdwewce peau Keer, 3,
Og Oe ON Et See Peer reer. eee Bi tsaeces
eee Wes: HOE te) OS.gs 75:0 Sass eked atwek.ee nieuwe dor ve Say
EL CG OUD) cis o's To's» 2s clea Cie ebrek Veane dave ek ae
Se OTRME GUOWES: 6055 a cicenag cc OUd wa nah s a teebee vite wih
er peemee Bweet TObACcO. ..as:s kawaninaniga ried garde cose cual ew
eee yds, Pingham, G) 18. Ode. .i.6 snes os Fades cess ees ive: > Mie ce
EGR. SUStIOI. (0) 28. 5's su cb gbnamne dees RAs ee 4 aa
eewaa. Wace,” Gi) 38, 5.5 by-eneh eee mmnis's Ob ks Yan 6 a Se oer
te: DOWUES -.. 2. s0 caruecut emer cs chen node Te ee
MS SEDC 5 :<< 5 dbs Ce ERE eR Sale pad aah ae oe Sahel peat
SMT IOCK.: -'; . .'s Span Ramee OST 8 ass ucct en's Sn Paar as
mma 2,400 feet boards, @ 3S. Gd. ..6 cies cece eeeess 4 4
SS | a a 3
Senes4. Yds. Calico, @ 38. 1d owes pide ds ee se clams sees ial, Oo
To 16 yds. factory cotton, @ Is. Id. ...........-.0-- a) Ss id
26
To ¥Y, gallon whiskey, @ 5s. .............- ee re
‘
92 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
£:; Se te
TOT 9a. vilot, 4d. eis. sons oes pee ior as.
aed at. tum, (@ 662-2 oo es 8550s re ae ci. aie
Oo 33% “yds, ‘silk, @ $8. 4 05.6050 o0 Cee le eS ee
16-1 table cover, 10s...3.54 «24 sae ee ake eee st) - SOs ee
1012034 Ibs. cheese, @ Od... 0255.5 sik danas vonpeee aes i S Oo
To. 2h@nyds... bucksiin, (@ Gs. Cos ii steal wicialeee eee Sealy x, Spoke
TO: 2 pack cards. . See 22 aS es cuca eee ee: ieee.
EO. '1--p¥, SIGE CONMDS ya Soc edie oe 5 be ee ale Re xt i
Vo 2 Beis Capeisa os bn as sg cea a pa eae ee oey
TO? Yai ahh i Sites se slike Gio sk eeal ta ashe SAO Ret ey nes
To 3% lbs.. sole ‘leather, @ ts. 6d.) ...4.00..55 dene’ decvc) Geren
Tetoigds, S loonty ais. 40s 60 ade nn nn eae sO
(EOS -9ass Git CIO OP 3805. 20d. pe ee ak he
TOS" GOGRTORpaNe 5A Os BU ae ON pee sae eek, ae
To. 3° yds: red:flannel, @ 3s. 90." . a. cs 02d el aa sei), SIS
It will be seen at a glance that the goods handled by Mr. Roblin
were very superior to those handled by Squire Bell. Tea at five shill-
ings and five shillings and sixpence was sold every day and was a
luxury evidently unknown to the citizens of Thurlow ten or twelve years
before. Mr. Roblin sold very little whisky, in fact it was very excep-
tional to find an entry for intoxicating liquor, which leads to the sup-
position that he did not carry it in stock but upon very rare occasions
accommodated a customer with a quart or more. Silk handkerchiefs
and dress goods, side combs and counterpanes would indicate a decided
improvement in the purchasing power of the ordinary customer. The
age of the deerskin skirt had passed, the maidens scorned the home-
spun, and the merchant was called upon to carry an assortment of dry
goods such as muslin, calico, factory cotton, pilot cloth, shirting, check,
flushing, blue cloth, red flannel, bed ticking, moleskin, cambric, silk, and
canvas, all of which I find figuring among the sales of a single week.
The following blacksmith’s account is among the interesting papers
of our Historical Society:
1832 James Long to J. Grant, Dr.
Janet To eet tye ois oss» «0 ss 4s Se ee
To repairing @ feller... 0... 0s c0csawne eee een
To baleng a kittle ...........sseeesescsevne
9 To artleves and Ting |... ..s+4i«ssadas ee ,
Aug.1o To repairing a whippletree ................--
93
Ei. me
Aug.14 To sharpening a colter ......++eseeee eer eeees ates Pia eae
TO a HOOK .. vc cas cs veces dav shee abe gen sanes a
Dec. 8 To shoeing a horse ........++++++++ TeGh evens <esrug
12 To a pair of andirons ........e0eee sere renee yr ee ae
15 To a pair of andirons .......-+++eeeeeeeeees sae
17 To seting 4 Shoes .....-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeces a Ri PS
1833
Jan. 5 To an iron to a wooding horse ........-- Ps ea ky
10 To shoeing a horse ......-++esseeee ida Goats te hele
Feb. 5 To jumping an axle ..........eeeeeeeeeeeees ee San
g To seting 1 shoe .......-6 cece ee eee eee eee qe eS
$ %- 22
Cr ££ 82° 4
By 14 pounds of veel ........-+++-eeeeeeeees ce S76
July 9 By 15 pounds of veel ....-.+-+eeeeeeeeereee Say | eae
By cash ...2..cccccscncccncccecscssecsovons set Ned We
Nov.23 By 92 pounds of beef .....-..-.++e+eeeeeeees sie EA
Feb. 9 By 234 pounds of butter ....-.--.--+++++05> 7. 58 ORM
{ I 3 10%
| Ballence due J. G. .......---05- Pg ELD PRO CRL ETE. 3 97 oe
The following market quotations are from a copy of the Index
published at Newburgh on April 27th, 1854:
Kincston MARKETS
go & ie:
Potatoes per bushel .......-+-+-+eeeeereees i ee ek
Oats per bushel .........-02eeeeeeeereeeee 2 10 ee
Barley per bushel ......---+++seeeeeeeeees eK [ ae
Rye per bushel .......-.-e-seeeeeeeeeeeeee eS 4
Peas per bushel ...... er et eee 5 6 8
Apples per bushel .....---++++seeeeerereees 2 ge
BPRMITOES 2.5... 2s see es sees pO enldbste es xs Skea SY Ae
Beef per cwt ......---++-00e- esta thers oe ek 27 6 30
ert Re oe re ee 30 35
per Ib ......-.-- ata os Se te 7
rc Te Py ee ON TOC or; 33
t per cwt. rire cer ee date cae G3 :
D€ - CW qed data alps oS. cs x ae 4 13° 9 r Pa
si AE Ss a
i . - <3).
ae tes ." <n a | ‘ - aa
Poe eee er ae
94 _ HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
oe ~ a:
A Le 2 a PEPIN RPT ee <2 6
DRRMMMT Rta 's oare 6 o:9%s'6 c'w a: 21h syarstal och seie aa 5 tay ee
NE Fs os 5 ok taconite Daa: k's arn ha bia aN eae wey) : aaa $7
SS EEE er ror ei | see eis 6
MOURNE Sa 5 sso 5,9 6 o'aToinwe kik Dae eee bathe i.
BEES DOP AION 2.5 5d sntis cis ko vane eae os ae te SESS
POWs Het Coupe ces coveedsu ewes eee ee t “Si aoe 16
Partridges pér couplets... bay sleds ees ai) ae
SetsE GAO oa ees ds esas Eevee eiaekeaeee 25 63 y Se
Tutkeys: cach: a o0sFisesiias be eee eee 2 6 Pate
In August, 1855, are found the following quotations upon the same
market :
Kincston Market bee i 7, 1855
act ah en
POMBE Ver BUSHEL i ives 2 ae tenho ews 7 hae, 4 6
MRS OES DUSIIEY © 5 a aacie 3:4 vids Sie ec en snes ee ay ote
PORE ORR erat SOE) ooh e yess Beau oh ete poet ehattaty ae
PEE ET: Bs? i vo nines css ee va vee ah eA een ee ey
ROE ONE Ue Sas sv 5 oe Chuc'e s whats eet ect ie te
Page OF AOC aa hiss ¢ocs eee eans eau ee va
SRS BREE eo SS: oe we cece chat aein a ae ae 29
Tedian weal pet Bets < osoncs ids ve on aeons tae 14:48
Matton per Wi esas ceatees teh see erase Rap 5
EM DET ID: 5) ois Sy Aa as CITE at ee due 4
ee eeueer DOr De (6 sAeele oie e sed wace mea ees i i oe OS.
ORE iso 500 $10.9 ae nel sit ete ee IE ae | us
PEROT, 5's o0.0 seal 0a 9 aoa ee ema ee een meee dn oe Sei
Pees Her Gor, ... «i 53 sdasd Cae ER eee rire. weak
mows per couple. ...<s +a cae eee eae ee 2.,.6 a ky
eg aes Ee ee tn ty yey yee RE 60 .
Ditam Der TON) ., 5... si ocesanehahananeak 5 aie ee
NR ET COTE... .\+ «suse bw SRR Keen eRe if 3 12 e
2
In the copy of the Standard published on ebenaes 7th, 1856, \ we
find the following quotations of the Napanee markets:
OTST IS et ean oa ations '
al neo a eae Gun (one es J
q L Tas pane ntien ia taal ie om,
hes 2 Nae
— “a ia ro . aay, wo
TRADESMEN, PRODUCTS, AND PRICES 95
; Rites ie:
EE 3 A PR i Sr Picen , wp 4
Peete CNEs . ws 5 cu haha aetna eee ere
ume ment per Cwt. ....«.uccawamseaeneees i 3 i ee
Se See Oe CWE: oo. sic vb eee a eee Tess aS
STM DNs. ac 'v a's 9 05.4 oe sierein eeiad a RECOM ae wetses ce
SES OE Bass cvcn on ene se peas eae Feawene air Ma
ee OOS CW. acs hd decku eth Vanes anaes Be TRS SF
cme pee! WW. .. 5 a cba utiak webb eee ne eens Tobe ele te
ne TOG ON... poh unsecuee see euae aie ewan ee | on
memuer tee Nisa” 2 Sou cae dad eae aim a aakee 23) ae oes
ee GRAN EARS See Pere so 80 -
UMEGE: OEE to has ws ua Ree San pk de AES ux re Fics.
EOE SUMMON eek os ctclesee ec cash eetans 2° S ay
NE Se RA POR er ie ep aes na
ee DOF GORE. 5% oss cise nes Waeithetecas - ais 10
ee ge RES A ice erry oe 40 .. 50
It was not the custom of the merchants in those days to advertise
the selling price of their wares, but Thomas Lamb demands the atten-
tion of the reader in the same issue of the Standard by the glaring
head line “Mark? Read?? and Learn??” Having engaged the attention
of the reader by this device he then most modestly begs leave to acquaint
him with the fact that he has removed to those near central and com-
modious premises on Dundas Street recently vacated by Robert Easton,
Esq., and proceeds under the following heads to extol the quality of his
wares:
Dry Goods, Broadcloths and Ready Made Clothing,
Groceries,
Sugars, Teas, Tobaccos, ‘
Liquors, .
Brandy, Gin, Scotch Islay, Proof and Whiskeys,
Hardware, Knives and Forks,
Weavers Steel Reeds,
Boots & Shoes,
FUR CAPS.
All he craves on the part of a discerning public is a timely inspec-
tion.
For the purpose of comparison I append extracts selected from the
acco ints of different individuals as they appear in a ledger of a merchant
arrying on business in Napanee in 1859. These accounts possess an
96 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
additional interest as they mark the transition from sterling to decimal
currency. The gross amount of the purchases is invariably carried
forward in decimal currency but the book-keeper could not break away
entirely from his pounds, shillings, and pence and seems to lapse involun-
tarily into the old method.
1859
jJans-4134 tea, 38., 30.5; 18th $4 tea, G0; $00... Saas eae ae ok
22.3 tea, S6c.$ 34. mustard, 30¢., Th... .,u9seae oe eee $1.50
Jan..4 To 1 ‘tea, 2s, 6d: knobs, ad... $.. :ia.045.c0 ge pears 54
To 5. fannel 34,5618 | cin. Hae ns ke ss 8 he 1.49
Jan. 5 By turkey, 43c.; 3 pecks potatoes, 50, 37¥4c. .......... 81
Jan. 5 To 1 tea, 60c.; set spoons, 20c.; 7 calico, 11d., $1.28.... 2.08
Jan.22 8% lining, 6d., 95c.; 1 silk, $1.00; 1 ribbon, 20c.; 4 trim-
IG BS. RAC ceca show One tg Cae 1.94
To bot. electric oil, 5s., I oz. condition root, I0c....... I.10
Jan. 6 To pr. Prunella boots, $1.75; 7th 1 tea, 2s. 6d.; 7 calico,
20, S5, 300. ;. Spools; IGS... ..s20 castes e aes ae teseses 3.52
Jan. 7 ¥% tobacco, 34s., 17c; 15th 1 tea, 60, 17th; 7 Cobourg, 37s.
$2.59; 1 Holland, 20,1 Selecia,, 128.0. s6. 04 ee 3.68
Jan. 11 To 1 horse rasp, 47c.; 2 spelling books, 12%4c., 25c. ..... 72
Jan. 11 To 1 doeskin, $1.75; 7% cassemere $1.50, $1.32; I casse- 7
Mere QOL) 5569 2. Ss SVG oe ee ae a eee ees yas die 3.97
Nov. 23 To % tea, 3s.-6d., 1s. gd.; trimming, 7s. 6d., $1.50; 28th
trimming, 9s. 6d., $1.90; I tea, 3s. 6d. 70c. ........ 4.45
Jan.14 To slate 13, peas 3, I qr. paper 17, pencil 1, 2 penholders
i, Se batton B: 3)cah. wales eR ask ae eae .44
Mar. 2 To % silk, 7s. 6d., $1.32; cash 50 pr. rubbers, 80c..... 2.62
Apr, 19 34. muslin,. 1s... 10¢.3 braid,.8. 6 sc...<3.85 Bi theo evgiBin ke 18
Jan.22 To-z qt. molasses, Od." soi.05 ciel cs aie f 86 cise nt was ee ne 515
Oct. 19 114 ribbon, 114d., 214d., 2 sk. silk 3d., 6d.; 114 fruit 3d.,
ahiGd. ‘eg ‘lead Tas. ated. sae els. see eee 3.10
Mar. 1 1034 goat hair lustre 25, $2.63; 3 Cobourg 4 80; 1 lining, :
1.3
RAY ASS Ee PE LEP E EERE CR Te
OE
—
Ss =
ee
DOMINION HOTEL, ODESSA.
LOGGING ON THE NAPANEE RIVER.
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS ‘97
CHAPTER VI
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS
Before the division of Canada into the Upper and Lower Provinces
there were no schools in this province under government supervision.
The first school in Upper Canada, so far as we have any record, was
opened by the Rev. John Stuart in Kingston in 1785. In 1786 John C.
Clark opened a school in the township of Fredericksburgh and remained
in this county teaching for two years. It has been stated that the school
was located at Clarkville in the town of Napanee, but I have been
unable to find any authority supporting the contention. The first mill
was built here in 1786, and several workmen were employed in its erec-
tion, but there was no settlement of any consequence along the river
until some time after the mill had been built. His son Major Clark, in
writing of his father’s movements, is credited with saying: “He arrived
with his family in Montreal in the year 1786 and proceeded to the Bay
of Quinte. He remained two years at the Bay, employed in teaching.”
The fact that he used the word “Bay” in indicating the locality where
his father spent the two years teaching is not at all conclusive that he
means he was engaged on the shores of the Bay; as this district might
quite properly be spoken of in that manner by any one writing from a
distance, but,.at the time the Major gave the information, Napanee was
a village of some consequence, and, if his father had been engaged in
teaching at Napanee, he in all probability would have said so. This,
the first rural school in this province, was undoubtedly in the township
of Ernesttown or Fredericksburgh and the honour is generally conceded
to the latter township.
A Mr. Smith opened a school-in Ernesttown in 1789. We. have
this bare fact with no further details to enlighten us as to the christian
-name of Mr. Smith, or the location of the school. It may be that Mr.
Smith at first went from house to house, which would be given over for
é _ the day for the use of the teacher and pupils, until a suitable building
could be provided. As the Clarks were the most prominent men. in
a _the township and the foremost leaders in opening up schools, it pro-
_ bably was located near their old homestead in the vicinity of Millhaven.
In 1789 a Mr. Lyons conducted a school in Adolphustown. The in-
# formation regarding Mr. Lyons is just as meagre as that concerning Mr.
ie
98 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Smith; but we have trustworthy information as to the location of the
first school-house. Under date of February 29th, 1908, Mrs. Alma Gun-
solus, sister of the late D. W. Allison, made the following statement:
“I, Mrs. Alma Gunsolus (née Alma Allison), now entered upon
my ninetieth year of age, state with distinct recollection that the afore-
mentioned school-house stood on the property now owned by Frederick
Membery, immediately adjoining a small building to the east, now stand-
ing there, and once used as a blacksmith shop, and only a short distance
from the U. E. L. Memorial Church to the west of it, and that the first
teacher’s name that taught in this school when I first went to school was
a Mr. Hughes. He was considered the best teacher far and wide, and
‘many persons came to this school from a distance on account of his
superiority over other teachers. The late Sir John A. Macdonald
attended the school. I remember him as being nicely dressed and looked
upon as being rather superior in ability to others in attendance, and |
do not remember seeing him barefooted as some have said he was. J.
J. Watson, Parker Allen, Mrs. Watson, Mrs. Allen Vanalstine and
Joseph Allen, Mrs. Tull, Mrs. Garner, Thos. Rennie, Jas. Rennie, Bessie
Rennie, Caroline Rennie, Mrs. Captain Chambers, John E. Dorland and
sisters, Jas. Dorland, Thos. Dorland, John Dorland, Jane Ann Dorland,
the family of Peter V. Dorland, Gilbert Wilson, Stephen Casey and
sister, Mrs. Thos. Wilson of Kingston were all my schoolmates at this
school, but they were all older than I. In my father’s and, mother’s
time, and their schoolmates Colonel Peter V. Dorland, Colonel Samuel
Dorland, Samuel Casey, Thos. Casey, the Ruttans and others being the
second generation of the U. E. L.’s got their first days of school here,
and Arthur Vandyck, the grandfather of Henry Vandyck of Fredericks-
burgh, was their teacher and walked from where Henry Vandyck now
lives, around by the Bay shore fully four miles every day to school.”
Mrs. Gunsolus’ statement is confirmed by the Honourable Henry
Ruttan, son of William Ruttan, one of the pioneers of Adolphustown.
He was at ond time Speaker of the Legislature, and for many years
sheriff of the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham. In
his autobiography he says: ; ;
“In a few years as the neighbourhood (Adolphustown) improved,
school-teaching was introduced by a few individuals whose bodily
infirmities prevented them from hard manual labour. At seven years
of age I was one of those who patronized Mrs. Carnahan who opened a
Sylvan Seminary for the young idea. From there I went to Mr. Jona-
than Clark’s, and then tried Mr. Thomas Morden,—and lastly, Mr. Wil-
liam Faulkner, a relative of the Hagermans. You may suppose that
these gradations to Parnassus were carried into effect because a large
_ ; ee i ploy igen lav aeinaaialean
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 99
amount of knowledge could be obtained. Not so; for Dilworth’s Spell-
ing Book and the New Testament were the only two books possessed by
these Academies. About five miles distant was another teacher whose
name I do not recollect. After his day’s work was over in the woods,
but particularly in the winter, he was ready to receive his pupils. My
two elder brothers availed themselves of this opportunity, and always
went on snowshoes, which they deposited at the door, ready for their
return. By moonlight it was considered a beautiful and exciting excur-
sion, especially when the school girls joined the cavalcade. Then the
same process of learning was gone through with in Dilworth’s Spelling
Book and the New Testament.
“Years later, there stood the old square log school-house on the hill
at Adolphustown Village, some rods east of the church, where Mr. John
Hughes taught, a somewhat celebrated teacher in his day, to whom
children were sent from other townships. That must have been in the
twenties of this century, and among the scholars there then were the
Macdonalds, afterwards Sir John, and Mrs. (Professor) Williamson, the
Allens, Hagermans, Dorlands, Trumpours, Ruttans, and others, whose
names linger in the memory of the older people. It*was the only school
in the entire township, south of Hay Bay, and numbers of the children
had to trudge their weary way four or five miles daily to reach that
school through the heavy woods and bad roads; and yet some fairly
good scholars and very intelligent persons came out from those four low
log walls. All who now linger of them are those venerable citizens,
Mr. Parker Allen, J.P., Mrs. Alma Gunsolus, and Mrs. Garner. How
times have changed since one teacher and one small school-house of
twenty feet square seemed to suffice for nearly an entire township.
“Among the other excellent qualities of Governor Simcoe, he was
an ardent enthusiast upon the subject of education, and before he
assumed office he had matured his plan of establishing grammar schools
in every District with a university at their head, at the seat of govern-
ment. A policy good enough as far as it went, but lacking in one essen-
tial, that it contained no provision for elementary education.
“In 1807 the first step was taken to carry into effect, in part at least,
_ the recommendations that had been so strenuously advocated by him by
enacting that one public school be established in each and every District
of the province, and “that the public school for the Midland District
shall be opened and kept in the town of Kingston.” The sum of eight
hundred pounds was appropriated for the maintenance of these public
schools, from which the sum of one hundred pounds was to be paid to
each teacher of the eight Districts into which the province was then
pesivided.
100 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
These public schools, commonly known as “Grammar Schools,”
are not to be confused with the common schools, which were first brought
into existence by the Act of 1816. As this Act of 1807 was to remain in
‘force for only four years, it was hoped by the inhabitants of this county
that at the expiration of that period some more satisfactory arrange-
ment would be made for the accommodation of the youth of the town-
“ships along the Bay: but this hope was dispelled by the repeal of that
clause in 1808, thereby making the location of the one public school in this
District perpetual. The grievances of the inhabitants of this part of the
District were set forth in a petition to the House of Assembly dated
January 6th, 1812, in which it was stated that “by reason of the place
of instruction being established at one end of the District and the sum
demanded for tuition (being such) that most of the people are unable
to avail themselves of the advantages contemplated by the institution
sists iow ge nhs a few wealthy inhabitants (in the District), and those of he
town of Kingston reap exclusively the benefit of it (the Grammar
School) in this District.” They had in the previous year given a more
practical demonstration of their dissatisfaction with the provision of
the Act of 1807 by founding an academy at Bath and issuing the follow-
ing prospectus:
“The subscribers hereby inform the friends of learning that an
Academical School, under the superintendence of an experienced pre-
ceptor, is opened in Ernesttown near the Church, for the instruction of
the youth in English Reading, Speaking, Grammar, and Composition;
the Learned Languages—Greek and Latin; Penmanship, Arithmetic,
Geography, and other branches of Liberal Education. Scholars attend-
ing from a distance may be boarded in good families on reasonable
terms, and for fifteen shillings a year ($3) can have the use of a valuable
Library.”
Sig. “Robert McDowel, William Fairfield, Benjamin Fairfield, Solo-
inon Johns, William Wilcox, Samuel Neilson, George Baker, Thomas
Lees.
Ernesttown, March 11th, 1811.”
It was thus that the first public school in this county made its bow
‘to the public. The first Master of the Bath Academy was Mr. Barna--
bas Bidwell, who came to Upper Canada from Massachusetts in 1803
or 1804. The Academy was deserted and used as a barracks during the
war of 1812, but apart from this interruption it was noted as a well
conducted school, and among the illustrious pupils who have received
their training under its roof was Marshall Spring Bidwell, son of the
preceptor, who was returned as representative of this county to the
House of Assembly i in the elections of 1825, 1829, and 1831. Mr. Robert —
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 101
Gourlay who came to Canada in 1817 and at great pains collected all
the information he could regarding the country, which was subsequently
published by him in two volumes, entitled Statistical Account of Upper
Canada, in speaking of this Academy says: “Among other indications
of the progress of literary ambition I cannot forbear referring to the
Academy lately erected in Ernesttown, by the subscription of public
spirited inhabitants of that and the neighbouring townships, who appear
to be convinced that the cultivation of liberal arts and_ sciences is
naturally connected with an improvement of manners and morals, and a
general a:nelioration of the state of society.”
After the Academy had resumed its classes the trustees issued the
following notice:
“The Trustees of the Ernesttown Academy hereby give notice that
they have appointed the Reverend Alexander Fletcher, Preceptor of that
academical institution which will be opened in a few days, after having
been closed for some time.
“The Reverend Alexander Fletcher and Mr. McIntosh have com-
menced teaching in the Ernesttown Academy, viz., the English language
grammatically, writing, arithmetic, book-keeping, geography with the
use of the globes, mathematics, recitation, composition, and history, with
the Latin and Greek languages.
“Mr. Fletcher attended a complete course of classical studies at the
colleges of Glasgow and Edinburgh; Mr. McIntosh received a liberal
education at King’s College, Aberdeen: and from their-combined experi-
ence in, and adoption of the most successful and approved modes of
tuition, they hope to merit the approbation of their employees.
“Boarders can be accommodated in respectable private families on
the most reasonable terms.
’ Ernesttown, October 6th, 1818.”
When the Academy was erected the deed of the land was taken in
the name of certain prominent citizens as trustees for the school. As
their children grew up, these trustees, while interested in the general
cause of education, had not the same personal incentive to devote their
time and attention to the carrying on of the undertaking, and others
who had grown into manhood since it was first organized, or had moved
into the neighbourhood, had little voice in its management, although
they may have had a deep personal interest in seeing that it was
efficiently conducted. To meet the wants of those who were willing to
contribute towards the maintenance of the institution an Act was passed
in 1834 incorporating as a body politic by the name of “The Bath School
_ Society,” all such persons as had contributed by subscription to the
original building or to the repairs that were found necessary shortly
102 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
before the Act was passed, together with all such persons as might there-
after contribute to the support of the school to the amount of two: pounds,
ten shillings annually, so long as they continued to contribute such
annual sum. The Society was authorized to take a conveyance of the
school lands, to elect trustees, and do all things necessary for the proper
management and maintenance of the school.
In the following year, 1835, the Assembly introduced several bills
dealing with educational matters, and by a vote of thirty-seven to
seven carried a resolution to grant annually for a period of five
years the sum of £100 for the support of competent teachers for
the Academy. All of these bills, including among them the one
providing the grant for the Bath Academy, were rejected by the
Legislative Council. It may well be asked why the Legislative Coun-
cil and the Executive Council were alike hostile to legislation which
aimed at the improvement of the school system. It was a_ notor-
ious fact that the schools were in a wretched condition, and. that
all of the proposed measures were steps in the right direction, and
were passed by the Assembly with very few dissenting votes. Mr.
Frederick Burrows has answered this question in an address delivered
in the Historical Hall, Napanee, in November, 1909: “You will doubt-
less wonder why there should have been such persistent opposition to
elementary education on the part of the administrative and responsible
section of our early Parliaments. The fact must be confessed that the
early Governors and the majority of the gentlemen—appointees of the
Governors—who composed the Executive and Legislative Councils,
although well educated themselves, were averse to the education of the
masses. They honestly believed that popular education would lead to
sedition and discontent.
“The policy of the early Governors beginning with Simcoe, the first
one after the passing of the Constitutional Act of 1791, was to have a
State Church, a University connected therewith, and a few classical
schools as feeders of the University,—all to be endowed from Crown
lands. This, they felt, would amply meet the intellectual, moral, and
spiritual needs of the people.
“Dr. Hodgins, in his Documentary History, aptly calls this policy
of establishing higher institutions of learning before providing for ele-
mentary schools, an educational meen PY anachronism beginning at
the apex and working down to the base.”
Bath was one sf the sufferers by the action of the Legislative
Council, and both Newburgh and Napanee have since outstripped it im
the race for recognition as an educational centre. Had the Society
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 103
received that assistance from the government which the public spirit
and enterprise of the supporters of the Academy so justly merited, the
school would have been able to retain its standing and our county town
might have been on the Bay of Quinte instead of upon the Napanee
River.
The following letter from Robert Phillips, of Fergus, written in
April, 1896, throws some light upon the position of the schools at the
time of which he writes:
“In 1845, I was appointed the teacher of the Bath Public School.
The building was rough cast, two stories high; the lower story was
divided into two rooms. In the one room was the Public School Depart-
ment, and in the other was the Grammar School. In both these Depart-
ments, the fittings were similar to those in the first school I taught, but
the pupils were more advanced. In a short time the Irish National Sys-
tem of School Readers, Arithmetics, Grammars, etcetera, was introduced ;
and after these were Maps, Anatomical Plates, Orrery and Tellurian
were added. All these were of great benefit to the pupils.
“As it was, the Academy finally became merged under our Public
School Act into an ordinary common school; but it has remained one
of the best and most progressive schools in the county.
“While the District School at Kingston and the Academy at Bath
served their purpose in their respective spheres the want of common
schools in the several townships was severely felt, and the demand for
elementary training of the youth was general throughout the province.
The first attempt to meet this want by legislative enactment was in 1816.
The speech from the throne by Lieutenant-governor Gore outlined the
fundamental features of our present system of education in the follow-
ing words:
“The district schools instituted by law (in 1807), and admirably
titted as a step between elementary schools and a seminary for the
higher branches of education, will not, without further aid, produce
sufficient advantage to the youth of the province. .
“The dissemination of letters is of the first importance to every
class; and, to aid in so desirable an object I wish to call your attention
to some provision for the establishment of schools in each township,
which shall afford the first principles to the children of the inhabitants ;
and prepare such of them as may require further instruction to receive
it in the district schools. From them it seems desirable that there should
be a resort to a provincial seminary for the youth who may be destined
_ for the professions or other distinguished walks in life, where they
_ might attain the higher branches of education. The royal bounty has
already been bestowed toward that end, in the destination of large tracts
f.
Dh a. ’ a
104 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
of land, and no attention shall be wanting on my part to second and
carry into effect the result of your deliberations on this important sub- |
ject. |
“The reply to His Excellency’s speech was couched in fitting |
language which voiced thie feelings of the people of the whole province.
“The system detailed by Your Excellency for the education of
youth in this province fully corresponds with our sentiments on the sub-
ject, and as the dissemination of letters is of the first importance to
every class in promoting morality and religion, in ameliorating the con-
dition of mankind, and in beautifying posterity, this subject will claim
from us such consideration as will carry into . effect the benevolent
intentions of Your Excellency. '
“We will not question the good intentions of either His Excellency
or the House of Assembly, but the Act produced as the means of putting
into effect those “benevolent intentions” was lamentably weak and lack-
ing in many essential details, and if one were disposed to be sarcastic
some stress might be laid upon the fact that it came into effect on the
first day of April. The Assembly, apparently doubtful as to its efficiency,
declared that it should remain in force only four years. It was not a
compulsory measure, but simply declared it to be lawful for the in-
habitants of any town, township, village, or place to meet together for
the purpose of making arrangements for establishing a school, and when
a school had been built and provision made for payment of a portion of
the teacher’s salary “to appoint three fit and decent persons trustees to
the said common school, who shall have power and authority to examine
into the moral character and capacity of any person wishing to become
a teacher of such common school, and, being satisfied of the moral char-
acter and capacity of such teacher, to nominate and appoint such person
as the teacher of such common school.” How the school-house was F
to be erected or how the funds were to be raised to pay the undefined |
portion of the teacher’s salary was left to the ingenuity of the inhabit- ;
ants; but section seven of the Act seems to show that it was to be by ,
voluntary subscription by providing that all such contracts may be
enforced by suit. A board of education of five members appointed by
the Lieutenant-governor for. each district was to exercise a general
supervision over all schools within their jurisdiction and to apportion
among them any moneys that might be granted by the government for
that purpose. Prior to the coming into force of this Act all schools in
the province were private enterprises, and down to 1810 the only ones
in the county were those already mentioned, together with one at
Sav egi conducted by Mr. D. A. Atkins in 1791.
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS
105
“From statistics collected by Mr. Gourlay we learn that in 1818
Ernesttown with a population of 2,450 supported thirteen common
f schools, besides the Academy at Bath, and Adolphustown maintained
three.
“The following course of study, copied from the Documentary His-
tory of Education in Upper Canada, may be taken as typical of all com-
mon schools throughout the province about the year 1820.
Morning
Number
of Pupils.
Books used.
First class of
Boys.
First class of
Girls.
Second class of
Boys.
Second class of
7... Girls.
ird & Fourth
s of
10
Grammar -Lessons, Exer-
cises on Grammar, Read-
ing, Spelling and Parsing:
Writing or Arithmetic.
Grammar ‘‘Tasks”: Defini-
tions, Correction of Er-
roneous Syntax: Reading:
Parsing and Spelling:
Writing or Arithmetic.
Grammar, Parsing, Etymo-
logy, Reading, Spelling
and Parsing.
Grammar Lessons, Defini-
tions, Reading, Spelling
and Parsing: Writing.
Spelling: Reading: Analys-
ing: Orthography.
Murray’s Eng-
lish Reader.
Murray’s
Grammar and
Exercises:
Gray &
Walkingham’s
Arithmetic.
Enfield’s Speak-
er: Murray’s
Grammar and
Exercises:
Carpenter’s
Scholar’s
Assistant :
Walikngham’s
Arithmetic.
New Testament:
Murray’s
Grammar and
Spelling Book.
Barrie’s Reader:
Murray’s
Grammar:
Scott’s Les-
sons: Writing.
Testament and
Murray’s
Spelling Book.
106
HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Afternoon — iF
Number ;
of Pupils ne used. |
First class of 8 Reading, Spelling and Par- | Same as in the
Boys. sing: Writing or Arith-| morning.
metic.
First class of 4 Reading, Spelling and Par-| Same as in the
Girls. sing: Writing or Arith-| morning.
metic. i
Second class of 8 Reading, Spelling, Parsing | Same as in the
Boys. and Writing. morning.
Second class of 7 Reading, Spelling, Parsing | New Testament
Girls. and Writing. and Barrie’s
Lessons.
Third & Fourth 10 Same as in the morning. eases vesecere
Classes.
It will be seen that in this rather monotonous programme the study
of Geography is omitted, and it probably is just as well for the youth
of that day, as the only available text-book upon the subject would not
have been very enlightening so far as the New World was concerned.
The following comprises all the information between the two covers
about the North American Continent:
“What is America? The fourth part of the world, called also the New
world. ;
“How is North America divided? Into Old Mexico, New Mexico,
Canada or New France, New England, and Florida.
“What is New France? A large tract of ground about the River St.
Lawrence, divided into East and West, called also
Mississippi or Louisiana.
“What does the east part contain? Besides ee properly so-called
it contains divers nations the chief of which are the
Esquimals, Hurons, Christinals, Algonquins, Etechem- _
ins and Iroquois. The considerable towns are fe Queher
Tadousac, and Montreal. a
“What is New Britain? It lies north of New France and i As not culti- |
re
> oe
PMT
rye:
HNIC A TW gia 9a)
resin they y
SOL TIV je) eae ON)
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 107
Whatever faults the author of this valuable treatise may have
possessed he could not have been charged with unduly exalting the great-
ness of the United States.
There were no text-books published in Canada a hundred years ago,
and very few were used in the schools. From a careful examination of
the books of several general merchants carrying on business in the
Midland District from seventy to a hundred years ago I have not found
the entry of any books but spelling books; and from statements made by
old residents I believe the speller and the New Testament were about
the only ones possessed by the ordinary pupil. I take it therefore that
the text-books enumerated in the typical course of study above referred
to would not be found with the pupil but with the teacher. In March,
1820, the provision of the Act of 1816 with certain amendments was
continued in force and a new impetus was given to the formation of new
sections.
This Act made the erection of a school-house a condition precedent
to the organization of a school section; but furnished no machinery for
raising funds to meet the necessary expenditure. Any contribution
towards that end could only be voluntary, and, we all know from experi-
ence that it is no easy matter to induce the general public to assume new
burdens, especially if there be no particular immediate benefit accruing
to the individual tax-payer.
In the year 1820, John C. Clark was road-master for the first
concession of Ernesttown, and as such he kept a small pass-book
in which he entered the names of all liable for the performance
of statute labour within his division, and from day to day he kept
a strict account of the work done by each. The names of those so
working upon the roads and the number of days’ service required of
each as entered*in the book are as follows: Josiah Lamkin, 4; John
Mitcher, 4; Henry Galloway, 3; Charles Hagedorn, 2; John C. Clark,
11; Daniel Rose, 7; Henry L. Holcomb, 6; John Fairfield, 8; David
Sheldon, 2; Stephen Fairfield, 8; William J. McKay, 7; David Purdy,
7; Philip Daly, 7; Peter Sheldon, 2; Captain Pane, 7; Samuel Purdy, 3;
Gilbert Purdy, 3; Owen Kinney, 3; Chester Micholson, 2; Matthew
Clark, 2; Leonard Brown, 2; John Miles, 3; Charles Butler, 2; Hiram
Hawley, 2; Joseph Abbott, 3; And. Wilson, 3. While so engaged Mr.
_ Clark, who, it will be observed, was the largest ratepayer, appears to
__ have conceived the idea that a school-house could be constructed in the
same manner. —
_ And as most of the road work had been commenced in the month
9f March, 1820, during which period the road-master would have been
ree aks > So
108 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
brought into contact with each individual in his division and he, no
doubt, made good use of his time in advocating the building of a school-
house, as from the repository from which the pass-book containing the
entries of the road work came, we have another identical pass-book,
hand-made with the sheets of paper fastened together with an old-fash-
ioned brass pin with a spherical head. In this latter are entered the
names of all those contributing labour and materials to the school-house,
and the first entries are about six weeks later than the first date relating
to the road work. This little book tells its own story of the difficulty in
obtaining a building in which to instruct their children. The heaviest
ratepayer, John C. Clark, bore the brunt of the burden and must have
felt discouraged at times, as the accounts show that it took three and
one-half years to complete the undertaking. In only one instance was
the work commuted, and then in the case of a woman whose husband
had apparently died after the work was begun. As no price was put
upon the work or material supplied it is quite evident that it was yolun-
tary. If a comparison be made between those called upon to perform
the road work and those who assisted in the erection of the school-house
it will be seen that nearly all the ratepayers did a fair proportion of the
work, but not until five or six of the leading men had got out the frame
and work had been suspended for more than a year.
Account of Labour and Materials at School House
Cr.
1820 William J. McKay, Work. Day.
PO Lie hs SS ao dala eiy be NS ASS A RAS Een re
EA ie ecin ss kin'e Sake saeie egrets pale Mae Aste amis esrstgses EM
BB ie ely 8 5 00.5 0,5 0a pane gis eles eno e ieee ee ee = .
BG 20 ois. ois js. a Sn se, wn: GOI DE UREN ee A ee oe A
PUR le «S039 «oe Sis a eae tags aig ISR De data oe aaa eat I
1822 William J. McKay, Work. Day
co EOE ee nie 6 & big 8 ale I bOehee ATR ER eae F plaiee ene ea yy,
PURE ite aie icle ld bis. 4 Gans wd hielo ele RR ea ive pte tae I
Ra sda its t's 9 3. EVs y be utd sin lente vee gta eee YY
By two thousand shingles.
MO Peete db iin Adis asin Vial pvt peas aie eS ee tk et
ree ae Ren bs wh aatadell RP Set 1 iv iota vac bias a
Die ea tan sh sige baie Wan hie tice sab awsclegaelyelatih fie i i
a
- Pi.® s ‘
26 Bie > By Ble 6 Oho. 8 B18 67S "a 0 poe, 6 1s ed
eee
Lone
ai Dk eee eee ae aed
PS TT TT ye
_— —
ee
——
“
ey De ee
May 20 By order 10s, W. Venton.
;
'
Reece, Sis de eee eC runa DAA aes ®
‘ ,
29 a 22-686 &.@ @ 46'S 6 O'S FSR eer eeeveeve Cb OO O16 48:9, 5S, ST Oe
i | John C. Clark. . Voy Or, days.
April By getting timber at the frame .......----++++-
Siw S ok & eels Viele e &.4 in. 4 o C1 8 #6 AAG AS Th 6 ODEO, 4 6 OES TO ORES
By 163 feet boards.............sesee eer eeeeeees
By 136: feet plank ............-- wae es tqe b0eibe i.
13 By -75 feet plank .......:..s.ceeeeeceecceeees
14 By 105 feet cng CoN aap ewlawh Paledictagy ee ae Rea
LLL LL LL ALL
o 7 i
>
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
316 feet “aut
BA cig tin sad iain Aes ahh oteis @ nies cs eas ne oh ain ee same
14 By Carter 2.2... cs cece e cece c ects en eeecereenes
16 By 740 feet siding ........+--+eeeeeee errr ee sees
| GE a Nl, A, as a a
; can aise ; We = ‘
oy wr
Me,
a 8
vy mah -
ue ‘ ia! ay pee erate. si uh ys ee oe
{ i a
4) we « v
pe
Lad @
™~
110 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Samuel Purdy. Cr. days. i
Pipe. 83° Work at the frame 3... s.csshka wees eh a eee i.
i ae ae Sore Shing Fasece 5 0-4 Ok§ we Mpetea tne tay een a
I
I
I
I
I
RT siap's 0+ 2's cuty cw nate pile vk eae ae RABIN 253% i
1822
Sept..4:By 5, lbs. Board Naila: 0). ..4:05 5.08 ia van uae
Dec. 25 -By 4% day Drawing Boards... 00.5 <eseh senses awes Oe
John C. Clark—work .......... 20
Paid. Carpenter (Carter). 35. - cin sie ceeeias kn bee,
Plank: 816 Leet. i553 an Gk ben's a ence gw eees balers .
Boards 206 feet ......+-, He uch ain Sine Wek DE Da
Siding 789 feet ....... Phe Stenplg vie WALES Tees Whine eat
1822 ;
Dee) By boatds ool ivcae cei ec de ean eee es
1820 Matthew Clark, Esq. jy etn Gages
By two thousand shingles .......-..- eee e serene
1823 ;
26 By work ..... « acta Sub dation tel a ae i a pe ea
Apt.18 By work ...... eT PU PET ee or
TO. By work . <1 2.sssesenegee soa abalone = sneha ee ae
RY 2S ee ota ead ebewene nse swainwp cine aot ecigian
8. i Slathe @ ole, 4 4.6 6 @ se. 06 eel eee Mie alee e ee ea rene i ue ies ele ene See
28 Drawing Brick and work at the House)oi4 s4.8s40% vs) 5
Mrs. ae : |
NH HRA
ae Cr. days. £s. d.
POOP: G BY occ ose coc censes erections Moen anes jicietens yp $Oetsang
4 By 4 Ib. Shingle Nails, ink arp NA AY fo aoe Bee Re
4 By 4 Ib. 2 oz. Board Nails, od. ..........++- Save
4 By 2 lb. 6 oz. Shingle Nails, tod. ..........eeseees “erie: ol
18 8
SP By cash 20.043 c/ecetitereaetaenseawade oeeee eens 1 Re a
Saeed «, Soeveid.6- 6; ati eave tare Ga iaspeske Wat Ue adele ia Sie aa 18 8
ER da uncscardGecwecs dee bu-bad Mh 6 em eG h hee mnsen mer
fuwddess cased Leanheniadebeuens a ened Capertee BG
1823 Mrs. Fairfield. Cr. = £5. 4:
a Paid Carter...) 55. cackandss snaps Ue seeegenyes Sa
PE EON gdh dina p Cin Sab ev Sie ens PRAGE ARMOR ME ARIES Ys, ee
SAPO EMA aaicg nies HAnG' a Svein aye wK smi W eee eeei eee 5.3
at8) 5). _ HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
sean L. Holcomb. | Bi.
0) A ee et Mbirereriirbet be i ob
Dec. oeeeeceee cc i iii iy 1
PAPEAS ~o2eee suk encanta ae ight SUS ae oe
NAS SO + so sa wig decrease rag mig WOE Ae
’ Nov. 7 CaP OO 0 2 21O_9)38.'9 4 22'S e O'S 29a) O'S B oo "S 2 ¢'S' 8 68,8 9 6 80 2 2.6 Se 4 2,8
7522: : Charles Hagedorn. ce peeks OR
Sept. 3 4 Thousid Shingles «6. nee ee siewraies wittel erate sles
TOR ss Josiah Lamkin. ke days.
WEp.30' DY WOME wos) Gaus cha wey sees cS Gree een Tee
Dec. _ By work with oxen 2... .6..0 2.0508 Peery terri l.
POE LOG hie eulote leis his FH EASA En He EEE Sang tea ala
Peter Hough. Cr. days.
BY WOK cs cusses egal ON eee Laie aaa ee eae
1823. lieeme ae Vu. Winckel. 8 oF days.
Aces TB y Work | oy. <sGar palenin ee eae reer
Mahe 6s Owen Keogh. | Cr. days.
Dec. By John Wilson, Wortk\) cei3scke ates home mae eee
1823. TF Raia bey Vent. Work. . * Cr. days. |
Nov. 7 See e tee eee ee eee eens eeeee eee eteeteeeeeeeeeees I
1823.
2 ee ed, ae be ie ig
ce side 1
By making a pannel door eres
i Mi By Benj Day pileee sashes eee eS
ts mu
PIONEER LOG SCHOOL HOUSE.
CONTINUATION SCHOOL, TAMWORTH.
pe ee, Oy ee
- .
" ely
| THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 118
1823. Sam’l Huffman. Cr, days.
SE Dwi hitb sss sao ice Oecd wane Rahea views Galmentet ode I
1823. Thomas Denison. Cr, days; 2. Kd.
June By order on Mr. Cartwright ...........0e+e000: eg We
RE WOT 2. 00s ducauigs dew onesNane alee erranes I
1823. Mrs. Krein. Cre ‘2:80, a,
. See By Cash) 3... svcuncuacdinsivenesein cats nes renee 2 68
1822.
Sept. Cash Rec’d. and expended as follows:
By J.C.C.—for to Ibs. Nails, @ SA capann . 68
Paid: Carters 5 icatvicinercsWeeesatnanaseeersnt eres a
1823.
June Paid for Glass ........cceeeecsccccccccccveccess i sjate
Nov. Paid for 200 Brick & 3 Ib. Nails ..........-0+-+ee0+: oo) ete
Paid for 385 feet of Boards, @ 3s. 6d. per Hundred... . 13 5
Ernest Town, Jan’y. Ist, 1823.
Ree’d. of John C. Clark the Sum of two Pounds two Shillings Cr. for
Work done at the School House, and also in full of all demands for that
and all other debts and accounts to this date, as Witness my hand and
year above Written.
William Carter.
Among the valuable documents in the possession of the County His-
torical Society is the oldest known school register in the province of
Ontario, kept by John Clark, evidently the same John C. Clark before
referred to, and covering the period from March 26th, 1810, to July 21st
of the same year. It is a small book containing sixteen pages, the leaves
being fastened together by a hand-made pin. The pages are about six by
_ three and one-half inches and ruled so as to afford space for keeping a
record of one week on each page; but for the first four weeks, there being
only eleven pupils in attendance, the list of names extended only half
ay down the page; so that by writing the names over again on the
s eS page the lower half was found sufficient for recording the attend-
e for the second week, and in like manner the teacher was able to
nize space and record the next two weeks on the second page.
ginning with the week of April 23rd the attendance had so increased
oe page was devoted to that week’s record, and so on through
114 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
the book. The following is a copy of the register for the week begin-
ning April 30th:
May begins on Tuesday. 30 Ist | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th
AES Oo a re A p ig A e P
MarGarct-Priyes sess castes’ P P P P Fr. 3
Henry Simmons..........+: P P P P e P
Polly Simmons........ Dacca ee Pr r ig P og P
Fleary ‘Guiniis ecavs.caneee? P sy P P P P
repiry (uinn.3 6.6. veees hwo e r P P P P
Polly [acoby ina 33 s4an des as] OF P r e P
Polly Bonnett. foi Geiss ss see ve e P af P r F
Anna Pug c2 oes koalas Owes: P ss P P P A
GOS ws ai Keo ess 5 id P 4 p P P
EVO SV GIIOME « 5 sory c+ <a eas 'y P Pr ¥ e
Morriah Wolfram........... r P P P y P
Air, acca P P P pet P
LS LLC a eg analy ees i P td Pp P e
Betsy Jenkins. so .i ve ev oss P P Pp e r A
WY Oly) FORKING: vs one 'sce'e engl. P r r Y A
FOE TOGK 4 i's BE Coho wee P P Pp P A
FAMIOS : SCOPMB Ly «6.0 8a 6s A P 5 E P
FOU VOSDIEE is 6.5.9 ae nee es A P A A A A
Leany: Vosbutye sé 06 ce. 160.5% A P A A A A
Jantiy WesOare s sts oes a2o55 3 A P A A A A
These family names point to the neighbourhood of Wilton and
Odessa as the territory from which these pupils were drawn and the
school-house was doubtless somewhere in that vicinity. With the excep-
* tion of the Vosburgs this record would reflect credit upon a modern
school where we have good roads and short distances to travel. As a
rule the teacher had every alternate Saturday to himself, but occasion-
ally we find Mr. Clark teaching six days in the week for two and three
weeks in succession. The only holiday during that period covered by
the register apart from the Sundays and a few Saturdays is June 4th,
and in the column set apart for that day is printed in large letters :—
“TRAINING Day, JUNE 4TH, 1810. AxnsEN-.’ In printing these words
in the book the penman misjudged the space at his disposal and found
himself at the bottom of the page before he had completed the last word,
which is accordingly short of one letter. Training Day was the anni-
versary of the birth of King George and was celebrated by all able-
_ bodied men joining in an annual drill under the superintendence of am,
officer epg for the purpose. |
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 115
The only qualification of a teacher demanded by the Act of 1816
was that the moral character and capacity of the applicant for the posi-
tion should be satisfactory to the trustees. The lot of the teacher was
not an enviable one. Money was scarce, and the maximum grant from
the government was £25 a year to any one school, and in many cases
this was the principal available means to meet the salary of the teacher.
If he were a single man, as was generally the case, he “boarded round,”
making his home first with one family, then with another, carrying his
carpet-bag of personal effects with him as he moved from house to
house. The fuel for the school was contributed by the different sup-
porters and, strange to say, at this time when wood could be had
for the cutting, the teacher frequently dismissed school from want of
wood. In the register of attendance kept by a teacher in the front
of Ernesttown in 1832 I find the following record for the week begin-
ning Monday, January 2nd:.
|
Pa ee ee ee ee
Subscribers . 3 ed 6
Mr. George Smith........... Z Z Z Zz Z =
° ) cS) ° ) Ps
es SRM OS oie o civ ny a dare z < < < rl 2
ee Win, Garb 8 g 8 8 8
: r. Wm. Garbutt...........) 2 2 f a a e
- Mr. Henry Baker........... 5 4 S 3 5 2
ROU MAIOEs 60s oc ins aeien 2 a Z 6 ¥ =
UT Ne i i de a is at eo
eee ee ee 3. 3° y 3 3. 8
Mr. James McAuley......... < roy
: Mr. Samuel Purdy.......... 8
Mr. Joseph Purdy....... Sha
: mr John Hough............ @
'
The teacher of this particular school commenced his register of the
pupils by entering P or A after their respective names, but after the
first five weeks he abandoned this method and thereafter entered the
pear es of the subscribers or proprietors as he sometimes styled them,
id after the name of each he made an entry of the number of pupils
nt from that family. The same register shows that school was
for four other days during that winter from want of wood. As a
very alternate Saturday was a holiday, but either the conscientious
r or exacting trustees thought the time lost during the first week
at the register for the week beginning Nov. 28th, 1831:
116 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
in the year should be made good, and for the next five weeks the school
was kept open every Saturday. From October 31st to May 12th the
teacher lost one day through sickness, one half day “writing deeds and
memorials,” six days attending court, and one day surveying a road,
At a time when text-books were so scarce this school appears to have
been overstocked with arithmetics, as the teacher, with apparent pride,
records no less than seven, as follows:
“Arithmetics used in this School.
Gough, an Irish work.
Ingram, a-Scotch author.
Gray, a Scotch author.
Willets, an American Author.
Pikes, an American Author.
Dilworth, an English Author.
Tutor’s Assistant, an English Author.”
ag
Ty Poh a
RCTS Ny a
There is no name in this book to indicate who the teacher is; but
the handwriting appears to be the same as that in the other small books
which are known to have been kept by John C. Clark, and the family
names indicate that the school was near Millhaven, in the vicinity of the
original Clark homestead, although there are only three names in this
register that appeared among the list of contributors towards the school-
house built by John C. Clark only ten years before. If he be the same
teacher who kept the register of 1810 his popularity must have been on
the wane or the pupils at Millhaven were not as alive to their oppor-
tunities as the boys and girls of Wilton, as will appear from a glance
9 heb
PI A An oy ag Oh ia Peart _
wit o's nk ed ty, Sar eke Wl rte
Pity oer gt 8 oy
bibel,
WH NNT NE Rey
George Lamkin............
Piabeth Smith... 0s css oe
RUE MINER oo dg case sas aie wie
Mary Eliza Garbutt.........
Nancy Garbutt....... sete
SAGE AaME DUE. 5s) os eee 5 oa hs
(OS Se ea
RAGE WY GABE a6 0s ices 's's + v0.
Anthony Rankin. .........-
Mary McAuley......#......
James McAuley............
David McAuley .... ;.....--
SUS UUP US UD UUD>
PPS uUrurS US > >>>
SoS VUS US US > UD>>d
PrEruvvurvuS US VU UD
PPrrPVUIUS US USP UD UT
PPPuIP Ur Ur UUUY
,
-
\
AF yi! ‘
casas.
6 7 .
~
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 117
SME SEMMGE s,s acsacere ss P P 3 A A A
James Baker...... . Oo Seem P P Pe A P
Richard Baker....... éomuen P P P A A P
William Baker............. A A A A A A
eS OEE e A A A A A
Charlotte Odle..... ste A A A A A A
SEEN REOUTICS 0. woes ccccees P rE A A A
ee ee! P P A A A A
EOE FAQUMNE?. 04. c ss ceebes P A A A A A
At the foot of each page the teacher kept a record of the weather,
interspersed with what he evidently considered the important events of
the neighbourhood. Occasionally he ventured to prophesy and _ his
.forecasts were not very reliable. The following are extracts from his
weather record and news items:
|
|
“Jan. 5th, 1832. 8 A.M. wind south, cloudy weather, milder. 1 P.M.
wind S. W. snowing, moist, thawing a little. 4 P.M. W. S. W., cloudy,
mild, appearance of a thaw.
“6th. 5 o’c. A.M. wind N.W. brisk and snowing. The anticipated
thaw has shifted to cold. 1 o’clock P.M. calm cloudy but mild. A
wood Bee.
“12th. 4 P.M. Wind E. snowing moderate. James Losee & Han-
nah Grass married.
“14th. 1 P.M. Fair. Wind S. thawing. Henry Grass’ shop burned
last night.
“2tst. 1 P.M. Wind N.W. fair & cool. Donald Ross living at
Major Kreims broke his legs near Wm. A. Ameys. ae
“Feb. 1st. 1 P.M. Cloudy and not very cold. Sylvester Lamkin &
Miss Hough married.
“and. 8 A.M. Cloudy and raining heavy. Mr. Edward Walker shot
himself this morning at W. Kent’s barn.
“Mar. 5. 1 P.M. Wind N.E. cloudy and raining a little. Betsy
_ Vanwinkle married to Samuel Badgley. T. Dorland, Esq., died.
“8th. 8 A.M. Wind N.E. cloudy and chilly. This morning Charles
-~=Blar hard, a carpenter, hanged himself in his barn.”
__. Thus he continues through the book with his tale of the weather,
woes, and weddings.
_ The writer has been unable to secure any original contracts to
ach in this county; but the following agreements with Mr. Robert
aing, who taught in the fourth concession of Fredericksburgh for a
——————————e——————
60 eee
»
a.
118 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
portion of the year 1817, will serve to illustrate the usual terms of
engagement :
“We, the subscribers, promise, according to the number of scholars
subscribed for by us, severally to pay Robert Laing ten dollars when
due for keeping school in Mr. Peter Cole’s house for one month, com-
mencing April 28th, 1817, each day, Sundays and every other Saturday
excepted, and also to contribute according to our several proportions to
furnish him with board, lodging, and washing during the same. He is to
make up after the end of the month any loss of time that he may not
attend duty during the same, and agreeing to quit when a majority of
the subscribers shall desire it on being paid for the time he has
remained.”
“Big Island, April 28th, 1817.”
This agreement was signed by seven subscribers, after whose names
were set the number of pupils to be sent by them respectively, making
a total of twelve. As no school-house was provided and they did not
engage to furnish twenty scholars, this school would not fall within the -
provisions of the Act of 1816 and would not therefore be entitled to :
receive any portion of the Government Grant.
In 1818 the same teacher entered into the following agreement: .
“This agreement made this ninth day of May, one thousand eight
hundred and eighteen, between Robert Laing, teacher, of the first part
and the other subscribers hereunto, Inhabitants of Hallowell of the
second part witnesseth:—That the said party of the first part engages
to keep a good school according to his ability, and to teach Reading,
Writing and Arithmetic, if required for one Quarter, to commence on
next at the School-house nearest Daniel Leavens and William
Clark, in the Second concession of the second township. That he is
to keep school from eight o’clock till twelve and from half after one
. till four o’clock each school day; the remainder of the time and every
second Saturday to be at his own disposal, but he is to be allowed the
liberty used by other teachers of being absent at other times, if he
should require it, and make up for the same. That in a general way
he is to catise the school to say six lessons each day besides Tasks, if
practicable, but is nevertheless subject to reasonable directions respecting
the School from the said Daniel Leavens and William Clark, who are
hereby acknowledged trustees thereof. And the said party of the second
part doth promise according to the number of scholars subscribed for _
by each to pay the said Robert Laing at the rate of twelve dollars er
a half per month, whereof one half in Cash at the end of the Quarter —
and the other in orders or other value monthly, if required, and to
Mur
Fey!
L Wi!
if
a5
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 119
furnish him with board, lodging, and washing as aforesaid during the
said term—and if the said trustees for good cause should desire him to
retire before the term above appointed he is to be paid for the days he
has kept at the rate of twenty-four to the month.
“In witness whereof we have hereunto severally and respectively
subscribed our names the day and year first herein written.”
(sgd)} Robert Laing, Teacher.”
Number Subscribed for
Subscribers for Scholars. by each.
| (sgd) Daniel Leavens .......¢sscccccs 2
| (sed) . Willian, Clark 2 does aeecsicas an 3
| Cage) FONE PEGE snes a we va eae he eae ala WA
| Cae) Eig COREE oon a sy cneeeces ands y
7 (ard) Hi. MeComtell o o.0 6 i ions ae wcne VU
| (sgd) Norman L. Harvey ............. I
(sed) - James Getow: <3... ge escciccnee se y,
t (sgd) Abraham Gerow ..............5- Vy,
| (sgd) Reuben Burlingham ............. \
Cay Peer Teavent: occas «avis tn ae \%
| Three other agreements somewhat similar in terms with the fore-
t going are upon file among the records of the local Historical Society,
) _ two for schools in the township of Hallowell, and one in the township
| of Ameliasburgh. In the latter township each subscriber, in addition to
promising to pay seven shillings and sixpence per quarter for scholars
: 4 subscribed for, also undertakes “to furnish one cord of wood made
: sufficiently small by chopping or splitting’ and the teacher, perhaps
. benefiting by his experiences in other schools, inserted a clause in the
agreement to the effect that he was not bound to keep school when
_ there was not a proper supply of firewood.
The last chapter in the pathetic history of this unfortunate peda-
gogue is told by the Coroner of the Midland District in the enh
announcement :
“At Public Auction”
“Will be sold on Thursday October 23rd, 1823, at the house of
_ John Taylor, Inn-Keeper in the township of Thurlow, at the hour of
ten o’clock in the forenoon the following wearing apparel and books,
the Property of the late Robert Laing, Deceased, viz.:—‘1 New Blue
Coat. 1 Drab Surtout Coat. 3 Satton Waistcoats. 3 Woollen Waist-
vats. 4 Cotton Waistcoats. 1 Silk Handkerchief. 1 pair of Shoes.
& Comb. 9 pain, of Seen I Cotton Night cap. I Back of
i >
~<
120 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
old Shirt. 1 Diaper Towell. 2 Cotton Handkerchiefs. 2 dozen and 8
Buttons. 1 Gilt Bible. 1 Laten Bible. 1 old Lexican. 1 Shorter Cate-
chism. 1 Laten Grammar. 1 Lattin & Greek Book. 1 Hymn Book.
1 Lattin Virgil. 1 Greek Grammar. 1 Lattin Dictionary and one Book.
The whole of the above Property is to be sold to the Highest Bidders 2
in order to defray the Funeral Expenses of the said Robert Laing, and ;
if any money should Remain after the Funeral Expenses are paid the ae
same to be Equally Divided amongst the Creditors, Provided they bring +5
just accounts Duly authenticated on the Day of Sale to be delivered to ;
William Bell, Esq., Coroner for the Midland District.’ This notice of
sale is in the same handwriting as the old account book of William Bell,
the merchant referred to in another chapter. Judging from a letter
written to Laing in 1795 by his mother while he was visiting in London 1:
he must have been at least fifty years of age. Some of his correspon-
dence is in French, with which language he was evidently familiar.
His only worldly possessions outside of his scanty wardrobe were the
few books offered for sale by the coroner, and these point to the trend
of his mind.
“In his Pioneer Life in Zorra Township, the Rev. W. A. McKay,
D.D. has in general terms so aptly described the pioneer school that his
remarks may be applied to the early schools in this county.
“The pioneer school-house was a very humble affair: a log shanty
thirty feet by twenty-two, cornered but not hewed, with chinks between
the logs filled with moss, all plastered over with clay. The roof con-
sisted of rafters with poles laid across, and for shingles pieces of elm
bark, three feet by four. The chimney was made of lath covered with
plaster, and served for heating, ventilating, and lighting the little school-
house. Of course it frequently caught fire in the winter, but the boys.
by the free use of snow, were equal to the occasion. ‘There was but
one small window on each side. The furniture was in keeping with the
rest of the building. About four feet above the floor, holes were bored
into the logs of the wali and pieces driven in. Upon these were laid
rough bass-wood planks; three inches thick, and so the desk was made
complete. The teacher’s desk was a little more pretentious, being built
on four upright wooden pillars and furnished with a small drawer, in
which the dominie kept his taws, his switch, his ruler, and other official -
equipments. x
“The grey goose furnished the pens, and the ink was made from _
a solution of maple bark diluted with copperas. Sometimes the ink
would freeze, resulting in bursted bottles. To prevent this it was not —
unusual to mix a little whiskey with the ink, for the whiskey of Zorra in _
Pow at Ve a?
Ce, eo ee
tsa inl CRA te ee ee 12
ratty yy ery ty
fe bat EAA wombs So 5 oa c= lel ba Oe Ak,
’
a. ee
\ 2
—
"HE COUNTY SCHOOLS 121
those days, though cheap, would not freeze like that alleged to have
been used by some politicians in Muskoka a few winters ago.
“The paper used was coarse foolscap, unruled. Each pupil had
to do his own ruling; and for this purpose took with him to school a
ruler and a piece of lead hammered out into the shape of a pencil. Our
first attempt at writing was making ‘pot-hooks’ and ‘trammels’ which
mean the up and down strokes of the pen. After practising this for
several weeks, we began to write from ‘copy’ set by the teacher.
“The sentiment of the copy was always some counsel, warning, or
moral precept for the young: and, as we had to write it carefully and
in every line of the page, it could not fail to impress itself upon the
memory, and to influence the life. I ascribe no little importance to this
factor in early education. The duty of being on guard against evil
companionship and making the most of life by every day diligence was
constantly inculcated by these head-lines set by the teacher. Here are
a few illustrations—I will give them alphabetically, as they used to be
given to us as copy lines:
‘Avoid bad company or you will learn their ways.’
'
;
:
,
‘Be careful in the choice of Companions.’
‘Choose your friends from among the wise and good.’
3 ‘Do not tell a lie to hide a Fault.’
7 ‘Emulate the Good and Virtuous.’
f ‘Fame may be too dearly bought.’
‘Honour your Father and Mother.’
‘Let all your amusement be innocent.’
‘Omit no Opportunity of acquiring Knowledge.’
‘Perseverance overcomes Difficulties.’
‘Truth is Mighty and will prevail.’
‘Wisdom is more to be desired than Riches.’
“Being thus early taught by our teachers, we naturally took to the
_ scribbling of rhymes in our books. Here are two of them as samples :
a ‘Steal not this Book, for fear of shame,
‘For here you see the owner’s name,
‘And God will say on that great day:
‘This is the Book you stole away.’ m
and another version was this:
‘Steal not this book, my honest friend,
_ ‘For fear the Gallows will be your end.’
is very wise advice from an old school song: . °
‘Work while you work, play while you play, :
| STutethe nye be bey a
122 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“The Usual Programme of Common School Teaching in those
days: :
Opening prayer by the teacher.
Reading the Bible.
Shorter Catechism questions.
The teacher making and mending quill pens, while the scichs
were busily occupied with their lessons, most of them
writing.
5. The Junior Class reading and spelling.
6. Reading the New Testament.
7. Class in English Reader.
8. Class in English Grammar; the text-books being a i or
Murray.
9. Mayor’s Spelling Book.
10. Arithmetic, the text-books being Daboll or Gray.
Po Ree
eich :
vn
“The method of teaching in pioneer days was exceedingly mechani-
cal. The pupil was taught to parse a word, not by studying its relation
to other words, but simply by committing to memory a list of ‘preposi-
tions,’ ‘adverbs,’ ‘interjections,’ etcetera. He knew that a certain
word was a preposition, because he had committed to memory a list of
prepositions, in which that word occurred; and so on with the other
parts of speech. The list of prepositions was of course very long, and
was a terror to young Grammarians. It was arranged alphabetically:
first the prepositions beginning with ‘A’: about, above, according to,
across, after, against, along, amidst, among, amongst, around, at,
athwart. Then came the ‘B’ words: bating, before, behind, below,
beneath, between, betwixt, beyond, by, and so on with the ‘C’s.’
“The list of adverbs was not arranged alphabetically, but proceeded
in this fashion: so, no, not, yea, yes, too, well, up, very, forth, how,
why, for, now, etcetera.
“After this the interjections claimed their right to be memorized;
but oh! oh! I forbear. We used to think the long dagger-like mark
after each one of them was put there to indicate some murderous _
design. 4
“The ‘tawse’ was a great institution in those days. It was thought
that the knowledge that could not be crammed into the memory or rea-
soned into the head could be whipped into the fingers or the backbone. —
Pupils, girls as well as boys, were flogged for being late, although som ne
of them came two miles through the woods, climbing over logs, and
often wading through streams, to get to school. They were - flo
for ay gals? in tpcnook, or for making gies on 1 the Piate: or
1AM ihe i A ee eS ee hele
;
Urea eerie yw, eae!
Gls
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 123
being able to recite correctly such barbarous lists of parts of speech as
above indicated. And worse than all, they were flogged if they failed
to recite correctly the Shorter Catechism. Oh! how the Presbyterians
envied the other religious denominations for their privilege of Exemp-
tion from the Catechism!
“In preserving order, the teacher watched all the scholars with the
eye of a detective and soon found out any scholar or scholars guilty of
the crime of whispering. Instead of coming down and remonstrating
with the offender, as the teacher of the present day would do, he
doubled up the ‘tawse’ into a ball and sent it flying with unerring aim,
catrying consternation to the delinquents; those to whom this ‘fiery
cross’ came, had immediately to come up to the master’s desk, each of
them holding on to some portion of the detested ‘tawse,’ and there
receive castigation due to their fault.”
I might explain to my young readers who have never come into
contact with that most effective instrument of torture that the ‘taws’
or ‘tawse’ is the Scotch name for a leather-strap cut into strings at one
end and commonly known as a cat-o’-nine-tails. It was originally
brought into use on board ships for punishing mutinous sailors and was
made from nine knotted cords attached to a piece of rope for a handle.
The following experience of an old-time teacher in a neighbouring
county well illustrates some of the difficulties the teacher had to con-
tend with and the method employed to overcome them:
“The discipline in those times, as practised by what people called
a good teacher, was really severe. After I took the school I heard
that the big boys hurled a former teacher through the window when
he attempted to bring them under subjection to his rule. I was warned
dy the trustees that I might possibly have difficulty with some of the
young men, two especially being named. One I convinced of my
superior agility, in an encounter which he sought, by giving him a
good ducking in a snow-drift,—after which lesson he proved to be one
of my best friends. The other young fellow was not so easily managed.
He was twenty-one years of age, and in his a b c’s, as it was then
called. Having persisted in committing a glaring offence, I told him
_ that if he did not behave, he would be punished. He paid no attention
to the warning. I therefore took a large birch rod behind me, and was
upon him before he could rise from his seat, and gave him a complete
hr rashing........ I had no more trouble with him or this school.”
_ The School Act of 1841 was a crude attempt at school legislation
omp with our complicated system of to-day, yet the principles
er amd, and paved the way for the measures which followed. The
Pym am,
pa A OPA AER
124 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
leading features of the Act were (a) the establishment of a permanent
fund for common schools to be created and maintained by the
sale and rent of lands granted by the legislature for that purpose, (b)
the appointment of a Superintendent of Education with power to
enforce uniformity in the conduct of the schools, (c) the creation of
a board of education in each district whose duty it was to divide the
territory into school districts (sections), apportion the school fund
among them and, where necessary, assess the inhabitants of each sec-
tion in a sum not exceeding £50 for the erection of school-houses, (d)
instead of electing trustees for each section, as is now done, these duties
were to be performed by “Common School Commissioners” five or
seven in number, elected in the same manner as the township officers.
This Act was passed after the union of Upper and Lower Canada, was
applicable to the entire Province of Canada, and was found by experi-
ence to be adapted to the wants of neither section of the province.
In 1843 another Act was passed, applicable only to Upper Canada.
embodying the general principles of the Act of 1841 but introducing
more details calculated to meet the requirements of the English-speak-
ing section. One of the most radical changes in the new Act was a
provision for township superintendents, answerable to county superin-
tendents, who in turn reported to’an assistant superintendent for Upper
Canada, who was under the direction of the chief superintendent. ‘The
Secretary of the Province of Canada was ex-officio the chief superin-
tendent.
Prior to the passing of the Acts of 1841 and 1843 there was
absolutely no system. When the people felt the need of a school they
simply put their heads together and made the best arrangements they
could, independent of what might be going on in an adjoining town-
ship, where the people adopted that plan best suited to their conven-
ience and ideas of how a school should be conducted. This lack of
system and uniformity the Legislature sought to overcome by causing
all the schools to be placed under supervision and,—as frequently
occurs in attempts to overcome one evil the pendulum swings just as
far in the other direction, thereby introducing another evil,—the gov-
ernment overstepped the boundary by providing for a series of super-
intendents, each reporting to the one next above him in the scale.
The only direct personal supervision exercised, beyond that of the
trustees and visitors, was that of the township superintendents ap-
pointed by the local councils, and there was no guarantee that they had
any qualification for the important duties they were called upon to per-
form. By intrusting to such men the regulating of the conduct of the —
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 125
schools, the Legislature defeated the end they sought to attain. Experi-
ence disclosed other defects. The trustees not only hired the teacher
but selected the text-books to be used; and the central authority had
no power to enforce its recommendations. The government fully
realized the defects in the old method, of every neighbourhood shifting
for itself according to its idea; but did not appear to possess the ability
to produce a workable Act. The Act of 1843 was based upon the
School Act of the State of New York, and that in itself was sufficient
to condemn it in the minds of many who were very much averse to
anything “tainted with Yankee notions.”
é The one thing needful was a master mind, capable of measuring
carefully the needs of a young country and of evolving a system that
: could be enforced. Happily the choice fell upon a man deeply inter-
_ ested in educational matters, who for years had made his influence
felt through the medium of the press, the pulpit, and the public plat-
_ form. To the Rev. Egerton Ryerson, a prominent Methodist, was
committed the task of investigating the whole subject and reporting
> to the government such suggestions as he deemed expedient to over-
come the defects in the Act of 1843. He spent some fifteen months
in visiting the United States and Europe where he diligently inquired
into the various systems in force and, upon his return in the early
part of 1846, made a comprehensive report, accompanying it with a
draft bill, which was passed by the Legislature on May 23rd in sub-
stantially the form in which it had been prepared by its author.
This Act forms the basis of our Public Schools Act of to-day.
Many amendments have been made to suit the requirements of our
increasing population; but so thoroughly did Dr. Ryerson perform the
duty assigned him that his fundamental principles have undergone no
change. To secure the best possible results from the new Act, Dactor
Ryerson was, by Royal Commission bearing date June 12th, 1846,
appointed Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada, and from
that date, chiefly owing to his exertions, our schools have continued to
_ improve.
‘The new Act was very unpopular at first, but the Superintendent
successfully combatted the storm of opposition that was raised against
The Newcastle District was the most persistent in its efforts to
“secure an abolition of the Act. They caused a circular letter to be
forwarded to the councils of the other Districts, asking their co-opera-
tion in petitioning the Legislature for the repeal of the Act, calling
- attention to the following, among other objections:
ee ee
0 ee ea
2 public funds was apportioned for the pay of the Superintendent.
.
126 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
\
2. The duties of the trustees were of too troublesome a character
and intricate a nature to be performed by the class of persons available
for that position.
3. All Superintendents, both provincial and district, should be
abolished, leaving it to the district clerks to make out such returns as
might be required by the government.
To the credit of the Midland District the standing committee
reported to the Council:
“Your committee cannot recommend the Council to take any action
{at present) with regard to the suggestions contained in that communi-
cation, believing that after a longer acquaintance with the operation of
the present School Act, interested parties will eventually be better satis-
fied with the school system, although we are ready to admit that the
school law is susceptible of improvement in its details.”
This report was adopted by the Council in October, 1847, and the
county fell into line with the progressive spirit of the time, and has
ever since kept pace with the advances made in all matters appertaining
to the training of our youth for the duties of citizenship.
Dr. Ryerson was untiring in his efforts to put the system upon a
sound basis, no stone was left unturned by him in order that he might
obtain the opinions of all classes in the country as to its defects; and he
was ready at all times to receive suggestions as to the best method of
remedying these defects. With this object in view a school convention
was called in Napanee for February 25th, 1860, which was largely
attended by representatives from all parts of Lennox and Addington.
The leading feature of the meeting was the Chief Superintendent’s
address, which was very fully reported in the local press. After com-
menting upon other matters touched upon by the Doctor the Standard
said: “The learned and eloquent Superintendent then entered upon that
which was more particularly the object of his visitation, namely, to
consult with and elicit the views of the people in reference to future
legislation on the subject of education in order to the further improve-
ment and efficiency of the noble department at the head of which he is |
so wisely placed. ‘This is a peculiar feature in the Doctor’s procedure ~—
and not unworthy our commendation, to have the people with him in
his administration and suggested improvements, a principle which he —
has maintained since his incumbency; for no important feature in the —
School Law has he introduced without first appealing to the people and
getting their assent thereto. The improvements suggested will be found
embodied in the resolutions contained in the proceedings given of t
meeting and published in this paper.” At the conclusion of his a
r~
- oe a Lerinktesd SF
We AAD bee 1 ested Nat
rr eo
airy
oceania Goctemee Sap nt 2
"ae bias Beclletely
v2 =
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 127
it was moved by John Stevenson, seconded by the Rev. Dr. Lauder, and
carried, “that this meeting approves of the grammar schools becoming
county schools, the county council appointing half the trustees and pro-
viding funds for their support and equal to the government grant, and
that the schools be free.”
It will be pertinent at this stage of our inquiry into the early his-
tory of our schools to introduce some reminiscences of those who took
part in the proceedings of those days.
Robert Phillips, an old teacher of seventy years ago, thus relates
two experiences: “I began to teach at Asselstine Factory near Bath, in
October, 1842. The school-house was a frame building about twenty-
four feet square. The fittings of the school were a desk and bench on
each side, with some additional forms for pupils who did not write.
At the end opposite the door was a desk which was used as a pulpit on
Sundays and by the teacher on week days. Opposite the pulpit, or desk,
was a large box for holding fire-wood. Every second Saturday was a
holiday. The teacher usually received fifty cents a month for each
pupil, as salary; and got his board by staying with the patrons of the
school as many days in proportion to the number of pupils sent. This
was called ‘boarding round.’
“There were no apparatus, maps, or black-board when I began ta
_ teach. After a while a black-board was got, which cost one dollar. At
first there were no geographies or grammars used. I drew a map of
__ the world on the black-board and gave the pupils a general idea of the
__ principal countries and their peculiarities. This mode of instruction
| was very popular in the school section. I think the only reading books
used were Mayor’s Spelling Book and the English Reader. The first
geography was Olney’s, and the first grammar was Lennie’s.
“The school was visited every quarter by a Township School Com-
missioner, who made a note of the number of pupils in attendance and
on the roll, which served as a basis for distributing the government
grant among the schools. These commissioners were chosen at the town
meeting about the beginning of the year. The chairman of these com-
missioners examined applicants for teachers’ certificates.”
_ The following letter from the late W. R. Bigg, ex-Inspector of
Eblic Common Schools in the County of Leeds, is one of the most
nteresting documents written upon the subject of our early schools:
* “Midland District. My first experience dates from Adolphustown,
84, in what was then termed the ‘Midland District.’ Being desirous
g my hand at teaching I applied to the trustees of a certain
ay
section where a vacancy existed, as to the usual method of pro-
Sh eS a 1 te
—_
-
Pati ee ce.
a)
= : =
128 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“From the trustees I learned that my first step would be to procure
a certificate of qualification from one of the “Township School Commis-
sioners,’ and was referred to ‘Squire Casey,’ the chairman of the School
Commissioners of Adolphustown, who lived near at hand. Then, sup-
posing I obtained the desired certificate, my next step would be to draw
up an agreement to the effect that I would teach the school of the sec-
tion for twelve dollars a month, and ‘board round’ free, for the winter
term of six months, 1843-44.
“T may here remark that it was then customary to engage men
for teachers for the winter half of the year, and ‘school marms’ for
the summer half, although a few school sections were found to be suffi-
ciently large to enable the inhabitants to keep a male teacher all the
year round.
“Accordingly I waited upon ‘Squire Casey’ to undergo the dreaded
ordeal of examination. This, however, was very brief and entirely
oral, and consisted in being simply asked to spell ‘Summons.’ The
‘Squire,’ you must know was, as his title implied, a magistrate, and in
his official capacity often issued a summons; and well knew that the ;
general Canadian orthography was ‘sumons.’ Upon my spelling it in
the orthodox fashion he wrote me out a certificate, authorizing me to
teach any school in the township of Adolphustown.
“Being thus ‘armed in mail of proof’ back again I went to the trus-
tees of the vacant school section, and was requested to draw up an
agreement and canvas the section for ‘signers,’ which I accordingly did,
and succeeded in obtaining the requisite number of twenty-six names,
some signing for three scholars, others for two, but more for one, and
a few for half a scholar. I may here remark that very few actually
signed their names; the bulk of those in the section ‘couldn’t write very
good,’ but told me to put their names down. ‘The object in getting
‘signers’ was this: The salary for six months at twelve dollars a month
would be seventy-two dollars, for which the estimated amount of gov-
ernment grant, twenty dollars, being deducted, left fifty-two dollars
for the section to make up. ‘This averaged two dollars per scholar for
the twenty-six signed for, and was deemed quite a large bill.
“Tt may interest some persons to know the meaning of ‘half a
scholar,’ the explanation is that the ‘signer’ became bound to pay the
teacher one dollar at the rate of two dollars per scholar, whether he
sent any pupils to the school or none, though he generally contrived to
send one or two for an occasional few days, and then omitted sending —
any for a month, ‘to make up,’ taking especial pains that his ‘average —
attendance’ should not exceed one scholar for half the term, or ‘half a
scholar’ for the whole.
REP a, |
THE LANGHORN RESIDENCE. BATH.
THE FINKLE TAVERN. BATH.
ee er Pe mie he et Be bat eae wri
—" j °
. >
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 129
“The teacher had to collect his ‘pay’ at the expiration of the term,
and often had to take notes or to ‘trade out the bill’ at some store, rarely
getting over half in cash, and invariably sustaining a loss.
“Equipments, Furniture, Apparatus, Playground
“The majority of the school-houses in Upper Canada in the early
| forties were built of logs, though frame ones were coming into fashion
| and, in towns and cities, brick and stone structures made their appear-
| ance. The rural school-houses were generally small, few exceeding
| twenty by twenty-four feet, and all alike destitute of maps and black-
| boards. The building consisted of one room only, with an old wood
| stove in the centre; the seats and desks were placed all round two or
three sides of the building and directly facing the windows, consisting
| of twelve lights in each window, seven by nine inches or eight by ten.
There were no playgrounds nor closets, the highway was occupied for
the former and the adjoining woods for the latter.
“School Studies and Attendance
7 “The studies of the school were chiefly limited to spelling, writing,
reading, and arithmetic, with geography and grammar in a few of the
1 better class of schools. The text-books in use were Mayor and Cobb’s
Spelling Books, the English Reader, and the New Testament, Daboll
| and Walkingham’s Arithmetics, Olney and Morse’s Geographies, and
Kirkham and Lennie’s Grammars. There were no ‘authorised versions’
in those days. ‘The attendance was irregular then as now, the elder
; boys and girls going to school during the winter and the younger
ones during the summer months. Few attended throughout the year.
In fact the chief educational improvements have been limited to our
town and city schools, and even these have shown no advancement dur-
_ ing the last two decades.
“Boarding Round
“The length of the stay that the teacher made with each of those
oe vho ‘signed’ was proportional to the number of scholars each had signed
. Thus, if twenty-six had been obtained for a six months’ term the
rage stay with each signer would be one week per scholar. Accord-
e teacher boarded with the farmer, or patron, one, two, or three
Ss, as per number of scholars signed for; and when the time was
en ee to the next signer, having to go back again during the
130 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
week to get his underclothing, which had been washed during the
interim. (Boarding round included washing.)
“Teachers Certificates
“My next certificate, in 1844, was from the school superintendent of
the Midland District, and covered his ‘School Circuit,’ and was obtained
without any examination whatever. I was teaching in Fredericksburgh,
without any license beyond the request of the trustees to await the
advent of the school superintendent who was shortly expected, and then
he would examine me. After visiting my school and inspecting the
state of the different classes, the superintendent decided that it was
unnecessary to examine me, remarking that the status of the pupils,
coupled with the very favourable report which he had received from
the trustees, was sufficient evidence of my qualification; and he handed
ame the usual legal certificate. Subsequent experience has proved to me
that the superintendent, Mr. John Strachan, was right. Poeta natus est
non factus. So it is with the teacher. The educational machinery of
the present day turns out the raw material, ad libitum, but as to his
teaching capacity or qualifications, the less said the better. During my
experience of half a century, I never met but one teacher, that is, one
possessing not only high scholastic attainments, but the faculty of
imparting that knowledge, governing by love, and yet excelling as a
disciplinarian. ‘That teacher was a Mrs. Arthurs.
“Licking the Teacher
; “Tt was not an uncommon occurrence in ‘old times,’ during the win-
ter term, when the young men and women of the school section went
to school for a few months, for a few of the roughs and bullies to con-
spire to ‘lick the teacher,’ not because of any disagreement with him or
personal dislike, but rather to perpetuate an old custom, such as we read
of in reminiscences of the lawless regions of the ‘Great Republic.’
“In the early forties when teaching on the ‘High Shores’ of Sophias-
burgh in the district of Prince Edward, one fine winter’s morning on
my way to the school- house, as I was passing the residence of Peter
Wood, one of the trustees, he opened the door and hailed me, and
warned me to look out for myself on that particular day as a plot had
been laid to give me ‘a licking’ before four o’clock. I simply smiled —
incredulously ; but on his reiterating the statement and assuring me that
it was true, I told him that he must be misinformed, as perfect hers
Wikicet ai eee
ty
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 131
prevailed in the school, and that I had not had any trouble with any of
the scholars. I then asked by whom I was to be attacked; but, like a
true Canadian, he declined to give the names. Finally, however, to put
me on my guard, and having pledged myself not to ‘peach’ or to ‘split’
on him, he gave me the name of one of ‘the conspirators, Read, a
thickset, lubberly, clumsy, good-natured boy about eighteen years of
age; the name of the other conspirator was not disclosed. Having
thus gathered all the information that ‘Pete’ Wood was disposed to give
me, I proceeded on my way to the school-house, musing, as I went, on
the incredibility of the whole story.
“On arriving at the ‘sacred shades of Academus’ at about half-past
eight o’clock, (in those days doors in the country were seldom fur-
nished with locks), I was rather surprised to find two boys, Read and
Hazard, sitting by the stove and pretending to be studying their lessons,
an unusual proceeding before nine o’clock, when school was ‘called in.’
“T went to my desk and occupied the intervening time with ‘pre-
paratory work.’ At nine as usual I went out to ‘ring the scholars in,’
who immediately came flocking in from the grove adjoining the school,
and proceeded to their seats, but Hazard and Read suddenly jumped
up, put down their books, and each pulling out a jack-knife and a large
apple from their pockets began ‘predatory operations.’
“T instantly asked the two boys if they were aware that ‘school was
in,’ at the same time ordering them to put away their knives and
apples, and go to their desks. Hazard ‘flunked’ at once and obeyed,
not so Read, who shouted out: ‘I didn’t take the knife out for you and
I shan’t put it away for you.’ I was young then, twenty-two years of
age, supple and fiery, and having no whip in the school-room (as I
always governed by ‘moral suasion’) I rushed to the door, with the inten-
tion of exploring the aforesaid grove for a suitable sapling wherewith to
comply with Solomon’s injunctions. Quick as I was, Read, being nearer
the door, sprang to it before me, and facing about, presented his open
jack-knife, effectually debarred my egress for a moment, and but for a
moment. Keeping my eye well on his ........ (I gave him a right good
thrashing) ........and finished by putting him out of the door........
and throwing his slate and books out after him; and that was the last
Tever saw of Read. The whole section laughed heartily over the result
_ of ‘licking the teacher’ and the universal judgment was ‘serve him
right.’
“Examinations for Tcachers’ Certificates
132 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
county boards of examiners had superseded the Township Commission-
ers, and examinations were held periodically. The place of examina-
tions selected for Sophiasburgh was Demorestville. ........ On the @ 3
appointed day teachers requiring certificates of qualification met the i
board, and after two hours’ oral wrestling with reading, writing, arith-
metic, and geography, all succeeded in passing. It is perhaps needless to :
add that the examinations were a mere farce, neither the examiners nor 3
the examined were qualified. Still the material and the machinery ig
employed. were the best procurable, and fully equalled the remunera- :
tion. z
“County councils had also been empowered to appoint county super-
intendents of schools, who were generally paid four hundred dollars :
($400) a year, and had to pay their own travelling expenses, and to y
visit each school in the county at least once a year. They were also
empowered to grant certificates of qualification to teachers. ‘Township ir
superintendents were also appointed; but no qualifications were then af
required from either class of officers. 'S
“My next examination was before the school superintendent for the
county of Hastings, who was also Warden of the county, Mr. William
Hutton. I found him ploughing on his farm. ...... On stating my ‘
errand, that I had taken a school in Thurlow near a farm which I had ;
bought, and that I desired a certificate, he proposed to examine me en ‘
route to the house, ploughing as he went. He gave me for spelling ‘One
fox’s head,’ ‘two foxes’ heads’ ‘one lady’s bonnet,’ ‘two ladies’ bonnets.’ ;
But his grand attack was in grammar, and he asked me to state what 5
kind of speech were each of the nine ‘thats’ which were in the follow- iz
ing sentence: ‘The lady said in speaking of the word that, that that that, le
that that gentleman parsed was not that that, that she requested him to ‘|
analyse.’ Having gone through this satisfactorily, I was complimented
by the superintendent and informed that I was the first teacher he had
examined who had parsed all the ‘thats’ correctly; and........ at the -
house he wrote me out the required certificate of qualification. I never :
was before any board of examiners or county superintendent again, but
went to the Toronto Normal School and obtained a First Class Provin-
cial Certificate, Grade A, in 1856, subsequently finishing my scholastic
career as an ‘Inspector.’
“To Egerton Ryerson and to him alone, is due the astonishing im-
provements effected in common school education from 1846 to 1876. It j
is hardly possible for the present generation to conceive of the state of —
our public common schools, or the qualifications of the teachers a half
century ago dire to the Ryersonian era. Ise one great mistake of .
THE COUNTY SCHOOLS 133
life was the ambition to be the only ‘Chief Superintendent,’ and using
his great powers and influence to arrange to be succeeded by a Cabinet
Minister, thus throwing our educational system into the domain of
SROIEICS, © v's 5 The abolition of the depository was also a mistake; but
that mistake was not his.”
(Sgd.) “W. R. Bigg.”
“Brockville, 1896.”
In 1871 was passed an Act providing for the appointment of County
Inspectors of Schools who were to supersede the Local Superintendents.
This important piece of legislation did more to improve the common
schools than any other one measure. Under the old system some mem-
ber of the community, supposed to be well educated, was generally
chosen for the position of superintendent; and not unfrequently a resi-
. dent clergyman for the time being was honoured with the appointment.
. He might be a most exemplary gentleman in many respects, yet possess
no qualifications for the duties of his office. Under the new Act only
such candidates for the position could be appointed as had passed the
‘ necessary examination and obtained certificates of qualification from the
Council of Public Instruction. The new system not only provided that
competent men should have the general supervision of the schools; but
extensive powers in respect to school sites, buildings, equipment, and
i the settlement of disputes between sections, or factions of one section,
i were vested in the inspectors, who were to devote themselves exclusively
to the duties of their office.
In this county Mr. Frederick Burrows was appointed under the
Act; and to him is largely due the present efficiency of our schools. For
thirty-five years he travelled from the shores of the Bay of Quinte to
the sparsely settled mountainous region one hundred miles north of the
frontier townships. The cheerless and unsightly old school-houses
have, under his direction, been replaced in many sections by more artis-
tic buildings designed in many imstances by himself. The teachers have
been encouraged, he trustees enlightened, and the pupils delighted by
4 his semi-annual visits. He has had to beat down many deep-rooted pre-
_ judices ; but by his pleasing manner and indefatigable energy he brought
_ about a wonderful improvement in every part of the county.
Upon his retirement, in 1907, the northern townships of Lennox
and Addington and Frontenac were formed into a new school division
anc placed under the inspection of Mr. M. R. Reid, a former teacher
in the Napanee Collegiate Institute; Mr. D. A. Nesbit, headmaster of
Newburgh school, was appointed Inspector of the remaining town-
a i URNS all PAT ae ‘ill
Ritrctt ay ie “ae abe ta a alae el cre)
bs hy, ard a dD Tt ee Bae)
: : » LF } ;
hie Be sek
134 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
ships of Lennox and Addington. By thus reducing the area under one
inspector more time is now devoted to the individual schools; and the
good work begun by Mr. Burrows is being enthusiastically carried on by
his successor. Much still remains to be done in.the matter of planting
trees and otherwise adorning the school grounds and buildings. It is |
to be hoped that this will be speedily accomplished by the early intro-
duction’ of school gardens and instruction in agriculture in every part
of the county.
i |
ADOLPHUSTOWN 135
CHAPTER VII
ADOLPHUSTOWN ;
: Although the first settlement of the other front townships, Ernest-
town and Fredericksburgh was contemporary with that of Adolphus-
town, yet, at the very mention of pioneers, it is to the latter that our
minds naturally revert. We have become so accustomed to looking upon
this little township, the smallest in the province, as the stage upon which
I so many eventful scenes have been enacted, that we involuntarily asso-
ciate it, one way or another, with nearly all the great events of our
| early history.
If we attempt to picture to ourselves some episode in the daily life
of our forefathers, we naturally turn to Adolphustown to seek some
' local colouring for our picture. From an historical point of view it has
f always been, is now, and is likely to maintain its place as the banner
township of the province. Many, and among them the writer, would be
only too pleased to disprove this statement and award the honour to
¥ some other locality, the mere mention of which awakens in our hearts
the hallowed memories of early associations. But the task is too great,
and we will not attempt it.
No ramparts have there been raised to resist an invading foe, and
the clash of arms has never resounded within its peaceful precincts; yet
every acre of clearing is a battlefield upon which momentous issues were
, determined. Not alone in wielding the axe or breaking the soil did the
a pioneers of Adolphustown excel; but, with the same sturdy resolution,
they faced the serious and difficult task of evolving a system of self-
government, and blazed the trail, followed in after years by other muni-
| cipalities, by the introduction and encouragement of social, religious,
_ and educational institutions which alone can rescue a community from
1 degeneration. I do not mean to belittle the importance of the achieve-
ments of the settlers of other parts of the province; but upon taking a
general survey of the entire field and bearing in mind the size of the
township and the fact that its inhabitants were engaged exclusively in
7 agricultural pursuits, we cannot in fairness give to Adolphustown a
place second to any other municipality in the work of laying the founda-
_ tion of our present greatness, as we are pleased to style it.
____ So accustomed are we to trace the beginning of many great move-
ments to some incident in the history of this township that Miers is a
a ‘
-
136 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
danger of investing the pioneers with too dazzling a halo. They were
but human and subject to the same infirmities that beset us; but they
had received a lesson in the rough school of experience and emerged
_from that ordeal nobler and better men. The suffering and persecution
which they had endured left them better equipped for the trials of the
new life in the wilderness. The weeding-out process had taken place
before they left their homes on the other side of the line, and few, if
any, enlisted under the Loyalist banner and remained steadfast in their
ranks but the strong in heart, men not easily carried away by a new
cry or passing fancy, men capable of independent thought, and prepared
to sacrifice all their possessions in defence of their honour. Such were
the first settlers of Adolphustown who landed on Hagerman’s Point on
June 16th, 1784. To the same class belonged the pioneers of Fredericks-
burgh and Ernesttown, and to a certain extent those of Richmond and
Camden; and much of the history of Adolphustown will find its parallel
in the other townships of this county settled during the same period.
Owing to its isolated position the family names in Adolphustown
have undergone fewer changes during the past century than any of these
four other townships. This circumstance, and a certain amount of
commendable pride in the achievements of their forefathers, have
developed a personality about the inhabitants of Adolphustown quite
distinct from that of the residents of other parts of the county. From
like causes the Amherst Islanders can be distinguished; and the writer
is not alone in his belief that it is possible to detect, in each of these
townships, a slight accent or inflection of speech differing not only from
each other but from that of every other part of the county.
Mr. Thomas W. Casey in his Old Time Records relates an amus-
ing incident illustrating the resentment of the inhabitants of Marysburgh
towards their neighbours across the Bay for asserting their superiority
over them. “The ‘Fourth-towners’, as the residents of Adolphustown
were then called, had the credit of being ‘a good deal stuck up,’ con-
sidering themselves a good deal ahead of their neighbours. The ‘Fifth-
towners,’ who lived across the Bay in Marysburgh, were inclined to
resent this and assert their own equality for ‘smartness.’ One day,
when the court was in session, a challenge was sent to the Fourth-town-
ers to test their ‘smartness.’ They were invited to pick out their three
best wrestlers and have it out with the Fifth-towners. Of course they
took that ‘stump.’ Samuel Dorland, Samuel Casey, and Paul Trumpour
were chosen to hold up the reputation of Adolphustown. Who were _
their opponents is not known.
ADOLPHUSTOWN 137
“The hour was fixed, and a near-by field was selected where hun-
dreds were on hand ‘to see fair play’ and help decide which township
had the best men. ‘These were all noted athletes, and they were then
young and in their prime. Samuel Dorland, afterwards a Colonel in
the militia and a leading official in the Methodist Church, was an expert
wrestler, and used to boast, even in his old days, that he seldom if ever
met a man who could lay him on his back. He soon had his man down.
_ Samuel Casey, who afterwards became a leading military officer and a
prominent justice of the peace, was one of the strongest men in the
township, bet not an expert wrestler. He was so powerful in the legs,
that his opponent, with all his skill, could not trip him up, and at last got
thrown down himself. Paul Trumpour, who was the head of what is
now the largest family in the township, was not so skilled in athletics:
but he was a man of immense strength. He got his arms well fixed
around his man and gave him such terrible ‘bear-hugs’ that the poor
fellow soon cried out ‘enough,’ to save his ribs from getting crushed in,
and that settled it. The Fourth-town championship was not again dis-
puted.”
The causes which led to the migration of the Loyalists and their
arrival in Upper Canada have already been dealt with in the introduc-
tory chapters.
The first survey of the township was made under the direction of
Major Samuel Holland, Surveyor-General; but the actual work was
_ performed by J. Collins, Deputy Surveyor-General, assisted by Captain
_____ Sherwood and Lieutenant Katte, during the fall of 1783; but it was not
_ subdivided into lots until the following year. It was named after
_ Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, tenth son of George III. On the early
maps the village was described as Hollandville, so named after the
_ Surveyor-General, but the name did not find favour with the inhabitants
and was dropped.
The townships along the front were surveyed from east to west
ia and numbered accordingly, Kingston, First Town; Ernesttown, Second
_ Town; Fredericksburgh, Third Town; Adolphustown, Fourth Town;
_ then crossing to Prince Edward the numbers continued, Marysburgh,
_ Fifth Town; Sophiasburgh, Sixth Town; Ameliasburgh, Seventh Town;
then recrossing the Bay and numbering from west to east, Sidney,
Eighth Town; Thurlow, Ninth Town; Richmond, Tenth Town. In the
first three townships the lots are numbered from west to east, from
138 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
fact that the Surveyor-General upon reaching the Fourth Town pitched
his tent there and made his headquarters near the present village of
Adolphustown, (hence the name Hollandville) and from this point -
directed the survey and received the reports of the several men operat-
ing under him. ‘These townships continued to be known as First Town, 44
Second Town, etc., for many years; in fact at the present time it is not :
unusual for the inhabitants of Prince Edward to designate these original
townships of that county as Fifth Town, Sixth Town, and Seventh
Town.
From a map now in the Bureau of Archives, and prepared by Col-
lins pursuant to an Order-in-Council of 1790, we learn the original :
names of the several bodies of water about the township. What we now
call the Bay of Quinte, extending from Trenton to Amherst Island, is
set down under different names; the name Quinte being applied only to
that portion extending easterly from Young’s Point. The trangular
body of water between Glenora and the High Shore is described by Col-
lins in his report of the survey as Savannah Bay, but is not designated
by any name upon the map. The small bay between Young’s Point and E
Ruttan’s Point is marked as Perch Cove, and that between Ruttan’s
Point and Bygott’s farm is called Bass Cove. The indentation between
Bygott’s Point and Thompson’s Point is Little Cove, and the southern
portion of the reach opposite Thompson’s Point is called The Forks,
while the northern part from Casey’s Point to Mohawk Bay is described
as the North Channel. Hay Bay is also subdivided, the easterly divi-
sion being known by its present name, hic Bay, and the westerly part
being called East Bay. ze
Major Vanalstine was the eas head of the band of Loyalists
who first settled in Adolphustown, and was appointed to the command of
the company before they sailed from New York. He was a typical
Dutchman, rotund in form, with a swarthy complexion, and spoke the
English language very indifferently. He brought with him many negro
slaves and, having suffered many privations himself, he entertained a
kindly feeling towards the individual members of his company, and was
always ready to extend relief to the needy. There was no system of
municipal government, in fact, no means of administering the affairs
of the community during the first few years of the settlement, and the __
good-natured Major exercised a fatherly supervision over the entire —
township, and many a dispute terminated in a friendly compromise ~
through his timely mediation. He was placed in charge of the govern- —
ment stores and provisions, and in distributing them among the nha
tants was kept in close touch with every family. i
eR The Feadek
ADOLPHUSTOWN 139
Up to 1788, when the Court of Common Pleas was established, all
Upper Canada was governed by martial law; not indeed by drum-head |
tribunal with its summary procedure and ever-ready executioners, but,
owing to the absence of any regularly established court and officers for
the administration of justice, the captains in command in each locality
was requested to enforce the English laws, and the means of carrying
out these instructions were, to a great extent, left to their own wisdom
and ingenuity. They do not appear to have abused the authority con-
ferred upon them, but on the whole to have exercised it impartially.
_ From the very day they left New York, they had been accustomed to
| look upon themselves as the natural guardians of the companies placed
under their command and the arbitrators of any disputes that might
are.
Prominent among the older settlers of Adolphustown were Captain
- Peter Ruttan, Michael Sloat, Nicholas Hagerman, and Philip and
Thomas Dorland. One or more of these were frequently called upon
to assist in determining some of the vexed questions that arose between
neighbours and to share with Vanalstine the responsibility of settling the
disputes and, to the credit of the contestants and the arbitrators, it is
said that their awards were accepted without cavil and regarded as pre-
'. cedents for the guidance of others. To Major Peter, however, was
largely due the peace and harmony that appears to have prevailed before
there was an organized effort to regulate their affairs by the appointment
of public officers.
The Loyalists had not abandoned their temporary canvas dwellings.
before a serious dispute arose over the eastern boundary of the town-
ship. The battalion settling in Fredericksburgh had been promised lots.
in the same township; but it was found that a sufficient number had not
been laid out to accommodate them all and, but for the intervention of
the Surveyor-General who supported Vanalstine and his company, Col-
- lins would have extended the limits of Fredericksburgh ‘westerly so as
to absorb the whole township of Adolphustown. The Major stoutly
maintained the rights of his company and demanded that they should not
be disturbed in the territory that had been assigned to them nor annexed
_ to the neighbouring township where they would lose their identity as a
_ separate community, as they would be greatly outnumbered by Colonel
Roger’s corps, for whom provision was being made in Fredericksburgh.
A compromise was effected, but not until the Surveyor-General and his
Deputy had nearly come to blows over the matter, by cutting off twelve
lots from the easterly side of Adolphustown and giving them to- Roger’s.,
This tract has ever since been known as ‘“Fredericksburgh Addi-
y
140 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
tional” and is so described in the official maps of the township of Fred-
ericksburgh to-day. Adolphustown was a small township in the first
place, and the loss of this territory so reduced it that it became, and is
still, the smallest township in the Province of Ontario.
It would be remarkable if so many people could live side by side
and be brought into daily contact with each other without manifesting
some desire for a form of local government in which they themselves
might participate. No matter how wise, just, and impartial a despot
may be, the Anglo-Saxon cannot forget the privileges which were won
by his ancestors at Runnymede; and while we would not characterize
as tyrannical the leadership of the commanders of the various corps of
Loyalists, yet it could hardly be expected that the settlers, for any length
of time, would be content to have their affairs administered by any one
man or set of men in whose appointment they had no voice.
As the clearings grew in size, and live stock was introduced, and
cattle and other animals wandered away through the forest to a neigh-
bouring clearing and mingled with their kind, frequent differences arose,
not only as to the ownership of stray animals, but also respecting the
damage done to the growing crops, and the necessity for devising some
uniform regulations to govern such matters. In their former homes they
had been accustomed to their town meetings which, then as now,
afforded an opportunity to the disgruntled to air their grievances. It
frequently makes little difference whether or not any active steps are
taken to remedy the real or imaginary complaints of certain members
of the community, who for weeks go about the streets or among their
neighbours picturing in glowing colours some impending calamity that
is about to overtake them. The public meeting is the cure for all such.
Having once for all delivered themselves of their burden, and dis-
charged what they conceived to be their duty towards the public, they
resign themselves to their fate if the public conscience does not appear
to be aroused by their warning, until some new phantom arises to dis-
turb their equanimity. Such nervous, often well-meaning, individuals
exist in every municipality to-day; and they serve a useful purpose, not
so much by the wisdom of their suggestions, as by awakening the more
staid and philosophic citizens to a sense of their individual responsibility.
It was thus that the citizens of Adolphustown were convened to dis-
cuss public questions at a town meeting held on March 6th, 1792, and a
similar meeting was held on March 5th, 1793, although the Act legalizing
such meetings was not passed until July, 1793. The meetings held after
the passing of the Act did not differ materially from those held prior
to its enactment, which points conclusively to the fact that the Statute
\
ADOLPHUSTOWN | 141
was framed for the purpose of giving to the other municipalities of the
province that same limited measure of self-government which the
citizens of Adolphustown had devised for themselves before the matter
had been taken up by the Legislative Assembly. The Legislature fol-
lowed the precedent of Adolphustown, even to the date of the meetings,
by decreeing that all town meetings should be held annually on the
first Monday of March. :
It is true that most of the actual business of the township was car-
ried on by the justices of the peace, but the very fact that once a year
the ratepayers were summoned together to discuss all questions of a
local character and to appoint their own officers to administer the Pru-
dential Laws and to perform the other statutory duties devolving upon
them, operated as a safety-valve and satisfied in a measure that natural
longing for self-government.
In the old minute-book, which is probably the most unique of its
kind in the province to-day, was kept a record of the different earmarks
adopted for distinguishing the cattle, sheep, and pigs, under the some-
what misleading heading “Record of Marks for the Inhabitants of
Adolphustown.” The following are a few of the marks selected at
random from the old record which commenced with the year 1793:
“George Ruttan—a hole in the right ear.”
“Peter Vanalstine—a slit in the end of the left ear and a slit in the
under side of both ears.”
“Alexander Fisher—a half-penny under the right ear.”
This mark was afterwards taken over by Robert McAfee, which
transfer was indicated in the record by a cross placed over the name of
the first owner of the mark and the name of the second owner inter-
lined.
“David Barker—a swallow fork in the right ear.”
“Paul Trumpour—a crop off the right ear with a slit on each side of
the same.”
“Thos. J. Dorland—a crop off the right ear and a hole in the same.”
“Samuel Casey—a crop off the right ear and a swallow fork in the left.”
In recognition of his ability and services Major Vanalstine was the
first justice of the peace in the township to receive his commission; and
in due course a similar honour was conferred upon Thomas Dorland,
Nicholas Hagerman, Peter Ruttan, Michael Sloat, and Alexander Fisher.
142 _ HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
which was-not used indiscriminately as it is to-day, he felt himself to be
a man of considerable importance and was not disposed to yield first
place to any man in the township. He was particularly envious of the
old leader, Major Vanalstine. It frequently transpired that the har-
mony of the meetings was disturbed by the reluctance of Squire Ruttan
to concur in the opinions expressed by Squire Vanalstine. On one occa-
sion Ruttan appeared at a meeting clothed in full regimentals and de-
manded that proper respect be paid to that uniform, which had seen
active service in His Majesty’s army. Vanalstine tactfully declined to
be drawn into an altercation with the old soldier, who for once carried
the day and scored a victory over his rival. The old Major retained
the respect of those among whom he lived and was buried with military
honours in the north-west corner of the burying-ground.
During the last decade of the eighteenth century Adolphustown was
recognized as the most important settlement in the Midland District. It
numbered among its inhabitants many leading men in almost every walk
of life. Kingston, from its strategic position, had long before been
selected as the military and naval centre, and much of the glory of the
Limestone City was due, not so much to the enterprise of the ordinary
citizen, as to the fact that it was the seat of many government and other
public institutions maintained and supported, not by the municipality,
but by the public at large. Notwithstanding this disparity of fortuitous
circumstances, when the Courts of the General Quarter Sessions were
established in 1793, the little township, which could not boast of even
a village of any dimensions, was placed on an even footing with its
more pretentious urban rival.
The first regular court was held the first Tuesday in July, 1794, in
Paul Huff’s barn on Hay Bay, as there was no public building in the
township at the disposal of the justices.
The next session was held in January of the following year; and
as there were no means of heating the barn, which had served the pur-
pose very well in the summer season, application was made to the
Methodist body for the use of the new church which had been recently
erected upon the same lot. Objection was taken by some to making the
“house of prayer” a “den of thieves,” with a timely explanation that the
reference was not made to the lawyers and court officials, but to the ie
criminals; but the scruples of the congregation were overcome, and —
justice was dispensed from the pulpit of the Rev. Wm. Losee’s Chape ala
The citizens of the township then took the matter in hand and
1796 built a court-house by voluntary subscription near the site of
present town-hall. The erection of the building gave the locality
: wy
ADOLPHUSTOWN 143
prominence and may be regarded as the beginning of the village of
Adolphustown. Previous to the building of the court-house, there were
a few scattered residences in the vicinity, among them being that of
Nicholas Hagerman, which was situated on the Bay shore almost in
front of the U. E. L. burying-ground and only a few rods from the U. E.
L. landing-place.
That point of land lying between the creek and the Bay was known ©
as Hagerman’s Point. Shortly after the landing of the Loyalists, a
little child, worn out with fatigue and exposure, died, and was the first
refugee to be buried in this county. In the neighbouring woods they
digged a grave and, as they laid the tiny form to rest, many a sunburnt
pioneer tried in vain to conceal his emotion. A few months later, one
Casper Hover, a relative of Barbara Heck, was killed by a falling tree,
while engaged in clearing his land. His body was laid beside that of
the little child; and the spot was for years recognized as the general
burial-place; and here the ashes of many of Adolphustown’s illustrious
dead now lie mouldering. Tombstones they had not, and slabs of wood,
long since decayed, were the only markers for the graves until in later
years stone monuments were introduced; but they, too, have crumbled
away or the inscriptions have become so obliterated that few can now be_
deciphered.
On June 16th, 1884, the corner-stone of the monument now stand-
ing at the edge of the old burial-ground was laid with Masonic Honours
by R. W. Bro. Arthur McGuinness, D.D.G.M. of Belleville, before a
great concourse of people assembled ‘from all parts of Canada to com-
memorate the centennial celebration of the landing of the Loyalists.
Patriotic addresses were delivered by L. L. Bogart, then over eighty
years of age, and the oldest living male representative of the U. E.
Loyalist band, A. L. Morden, Dr. Canniff, D. W. Allison, Sir Richard
Cartwright, and Rev. D. V. Lucas. In due time the monument was
completed and upon its face was inscribed:
“In Memory of the U. E. Loyalists who
through loyalty to British
Institutions
Left the U. S. and landed on these
Shores on the 16th of
June, 1784.”
\_ more enduring monument to the noble band of pioneers is the sweet
nory ce their Junerdl and sacrifice embalmed i in the hearts of the pre-
144 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON .
taking active measures to preserve all the old landmarks in the town-
ship connected with its early history.
We have seen how the Courts of General Sessions were established
in 1793; but a new difficulty arose at this point as there were no lawyers
duly authorized to practise; and it was felt that the dignity of the bench
could not be maintained without some restrictions being placed upon the
advocates who were to appear before the courts. To overcome this
difficulty an Act was passed in 1794 empowering the Governor, Lieuten-
ant-Governor, or person administering “the government of the province,
to authorize by license under his hand and seal, such and so many of
His Majesty’s liege subjects, not exceeding sixteen in numbers, as he
shall deem, from their probity, education, and condition in life, best
qualified to act as advocates and attorneys in the conduct of all legal
proceedings in this province.”
Three years later all persons then admitted to practise in the law
in this province, derisively styled “heaven-born lawyers,’ were, by an
Act of the Legislative Assembly, incorporated as the “Law Society of
Upper Canada” upon practically the same basis as that Society to-day
exists.
Nicholas Hagerman was one of the favoured few of “sufficient pro-
bity, education, and condition in life” and was the first lawyer admitted
to the bar in the county of Lennox and Addington. He was a man of
refinement and education who had studied law before he left New York;
and the honour conferred upon him was not unworthily bestowed. He
continued to practise until the time of his death, and for a long time
enjoyed the monopoly of being the only practitioner in the county. He
had no regular office hours, but went about his daily occupation and,
. when waited upon by a client, he would shoulder his axe or scythe and
repair to his dwelling to turn over his musty volumes, or render such
other professional service as the circumstances warranted. The founda-
tions of his home built upon the shore have long since been washed
away by the encroaching waters of the bay.
He was buried on the east side of the old burying-ground just north —
of an old oak tree, but no stone to-day marks his last resting-place.
He had two sons, Christopher and Daniel, both of whom were
elected to parliament in 1821, Christopher for the electoral district of —
Frontenac, and Daniel for Addington. Daniel died before the House ~ |
assembled; but Christopher took his seat, and in time became one of ‘
the most illustrious men of his day. He studied law with his father
and afterwards with Allen McLean of aed os ane it not unfre C y
A a
— —~
slag @veashe els dew A
oe
i eae
~My |
\\ | ‘Ai
\ J
REV. WILLIAM CASE. REV. ROBERT CORSON.
THE SWITZERVILLE CHAPEL. BUILT 1826.
:
f
i =>
¢ 4
5 > j
' + ~ s
) >
’.
' :
: :
‘
a
t i
; ?
,
ea ee ei ee en _
ADOLPHUSTOWN 145
case. On one such occasion Christopher scored a signal victory over
his father, at which the father exclaimed: “Have I raised a son to put
out my eyes”; whereupon Christopher quickly retorted: “No, father,
but to open them.” In 1815 this same son was appointed a King’s
Counsel, and afterwards became Solicitor-General, and finally Chief-
justice of the Province of Ontario. \
i A fair estimate may be formed of the recognized ability of the
. early inhabitants of Adolphustown by scanning the list of members of
. the Legislative Assembly chosen from the men living in or brought up
in this township. In the first legislature Philip Dorland was elected:
| but being a Quaker he refused to take the oath and his election was
annulled, and Major Peter Vanalstine was elected in his stead. To the
next seven parliaments Adolphustown contributed the following mem-
bers: Thomas Dorland, John Roblin, Willet Casey, Samuel Casey,
Daniel Hagerman, and Christopher Hagerman.
The inhabitants of Adolphustown are a peace-loving people but, in
time of need, never fail to respond to their country’s call. During the
war of 1812 Captain Thomas Dorland was the first commissioned officer
in the township and was placed in command of a company at Kingston:
Captain Trumpour commanded a company of horse during the same
campaign; and Christopher Hagerman was appointed aide-de-camp to
the Lieutenant-General commanding, with the rank of Lieutenant-Col-
onel. The young men of the township have at all times regularly en-
listed in both the infantry and cavalry branches of the volunteer ser-
vice; and a brass tablet in the Anglican Memorial Church in the village
Commemorates the heroic death of Captain Thomas Wellington Chal-
mers who fell on the battlefield in South Africa in his valiant attempt
to rescue a wounded comrade. ?
This county always has been and is likely to remain a stronghold of
Methodism. As early as 1788 a young man by the name of Lyons came
to Adolphustown and engaged in teaching school; and on the Sabbath
he would collect the people together in the house of one of his employers
and conduct religious services after the order of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. Methodism was not popular among many of the Loyal-
ists, who had been brought up to believe that any other doctrine than
that contained in the thirty-nine Articles of the Established Church was
_ not only rank heresy, but its exponents were little short of traitors to
_ the throne of Great Britain. Lyons’ preaching was bitterly opposed by
certain extremists; but as there was no law to cover the alleged offence
BE Bers the inhabitants to accept the faith as he explained
is opponents contented themselves by holding him up to ridicule,
ae 20 '
' # ; ' ‘ ; *
S
146 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
boycotting his school, and rendering his residence among them
as unpleasant as they could. Such territory did not appear to be a very
promising field for the Methodists; but first impressions are not always
‘reliable, and so it proved in this case. In 1790 William Losee paid a
visit to this part of the country and preached the tenets of Methodism
along the Bay of Quinte, and among other places in the tavern of Con-
rade Van Dusen at Adolphustown. ;
There has been considerable misapprehension as to the locality of
the VanDusen tavern; and most writers have taken it for granted that
it stood in the village just east of the court-house. The writer has
before him a conveyance of lot number sixteen in the first concession
of Adolphustown from Conrade VanDusen to Richard Davern, dated
October 2nd, 1815, in which the expressed consideration is seven hun-
dred pounds. It was upon this lot that the tavern was built, and the
consideration would indicate that the buildings must have been of more
than ordinary value. Daniel Davern, a grandson of the grantee, still
residing upon this lot, helped to remove the stone foundation of an old
building which his father assured him was the same upon which stood
the old VanDusen tavern. After selling the farm he moved to the vil-
lage and lived just east of the court-house, a fact which accounts for the
error. In the body of the document the name of the grantor is spelled
“Conradt Van Duzen;” but his own signature, which appears in a plain
round hand, is “Conrade VanDusen,” which should dispose of the ques-
tion of the spelling of his name. In those days the wife could only
bar her dower by appearing before the proper official to be examined, in
order that he might certify that her consent was given “freely and volun-
tary, without coercion or fear of coercion on the part of her husband or
any other person.” Such a certificate signed by John Ferguson, District
Judge, is attached to this interesting old document.
Losee was a nervous, intensely energetic man, and had the use of
only one arm, the other being withered. Above all he was a Loyalist
and had known many of the residents before he emigrated from the
United States. A Loyalist and a Methodist preacher! Such a paro-
doxical combination had never been conceived and, out of mere cur-
iosity, many who had scoffed at Lyons and McCarty went to hear the
one-armed Loyal Methodist, who by his piety and earnestness won the
hearts of his listeners. So popular was he that a petition was presented
to his conference to have him sent to this county; and in the following
year he returned, the first regularly appointed Methodist minister in
Upper Canada. .
—
PRET eth Fy
ve 01) vac 'ee eee AL <a] La Ea
ADOLPHUSTOWN 147
Among Losee’s most ducted supporters was Paul Huff, who lived
on the south shore of Hay Bay on lot eighteen in the third concession,
and it was at his house that the congregation from that part of the town-
ship used to meet for divine worship, and at which was established on
February 20th, 1792, the first regular class meeting in Upper Canada.
The attendance at the meeting increased so rapidly that the living room
at Huff’s would no longer accommodate them, and it was determined to
‘erect a meeting-house. Paul Huff donated the land, and twenty sub-
. scribers undertook to pay £108 towards the building fund. The build-
ing was to be erected under the direction of Losee, and was to be thirty-
six feet by thirty, two stories high, with a gallery. The most liberal
subscriber towards its erection was none other than the same Conrade
VanDusen at whose tavern a few years before McCarty had been
arraigned as a vagabond. The foundations were laid; and soon there
arose an imposing structure still standing to-day as a monument to that
good man who well and truly laid the corner-stone of Methodism in
Upper Canada.
Overjoyed with the success of his first effort at church building
Losee set about with renewed energy to improve the accommodation in
the other townships; but he was permitted to foster the advance of his
holy cause for only two years, as that bright intellect, overburdened with
the work of his ministry, was shattered by a blow it had not the strength
to withstand.
His pathetic collapse is thus described by Playter in his History of
Methodism: “He was the subject of that soft, yet powerful passion of
our nature, which some account our weakness and others our greatest
happiness. Piety and beauty were seen connected in female form then
as well as now, in this land of woods and water, snows and “burning
heat. In the family of one of his hearers, and in the vicinity of Napanee
River, was a maid of no little moral and personal attraction. Soon his
attention was attracted, soon the seed of love was planted in his bosom,
and soon it germinated and bore outward fruit. In the interim of sus-
pense as to whether he should gain the person, another preacher came
on the circuit, visits the same dwelling, is attracted by the same fair
_ object, and finds in his heart the same passion. The two seek the same
_ person. One is absent on the St. Lawrence, the other frequents the
_ blest habitation, never out of mind. One, too, is deformed, the other a
per son of desirable appearance. Jealousy crept in with love. But at
last the preference was made, and disappointment like a thunderbolt
et the mental balance of the first itinerant minister in Canada.”
148 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
some property he had acquired while here; and that he was upon this
visit completely restored to his former mental health and visited the old
Adolphustown charge, where he preached to his old parishioners, and
then returned to New York.
In 1805, near the old chapel on Hay Bay, was conducted the first
camp-meeting ever held in Canada. From far and near the adherents
of the Methodist Church came in their bateaux, filled to the gunwale
with tents, bedding, and provisions, or in lumber waggons hauled by
the slow-moving oxen, which with swinging gait wended through the
forest to the meeting place. Never had the woods of Adolphustown
echoed such shouts of praise and song as went up from the hundreds
of earnest worshippers under the guidance of such saintly leaders as
Case, Ryan, Pickett, Keeler, Madden, and Bangs.
In the same neighbourhood, in 1819, occurred the saddest event
that ever befell that part of the county. All nature seemed to smile on
that bright Sabbath morning of August 2oth, as eighteen young people,
jubilant with the spirit of the season, seated themselves in a flat-bot-
tomed boat at Casey’s Point, and the young men plied the oars as they
turned the prow towards the opposite shore to attend quarterly meeting
in the Losee chapel. With innocent jests and snatches of sacred songs
they moved merrily over the surface of the bay until, as they neared the
landing-place, the boat began to leak and, in the confusion which fol-
lowed, capsized, plunging all the passengers into the water. The service
was in progress, and the officiating clergyman had just given utterance
to the prayer that “it might be a day long to be remembered” when the
congregation was startled by screams of terror, and rushing from the
church saw the unfortunate victims struggling for their lives. Every
effort was made to save them from their perilous position, but of the
eighteen, who a few minutes before were overflowing with the happi-
ness of youth, only nine were saved.
On the following day nine coffins were ranged side by side in front
of the chapel, and the Reverend Mr. Puffer, taking as his text “I know
that my Redeemer liveth,’ endeavoured to preach a funeral sermon;
but was so overcome with emotion in the presence of a large congrega-
tion, who could not restrain their tears, that he was unable to finish his
discourse. In the old grave-yard near by may still be seen the last rest-
ing-place of the drowned. It is needless to say that the disaster was
long remembered; and the sympathy of the district went out to the
stricken families, among them being some of the best known in the
county. Of the dead there were two Germans, two Detlors, one Bogart,
one Roblin, one Clark, one Madden, and one Cole. |
a an
ra Pry
THE U. E. L. MONUMENT. ADOLPHUSTOWN.
ST. PAUL’S CHURCH. ADOLPHUSTOWN.
Ba Tay Saree,
ADOLPHUSTOWN 149
| Without commenting upon its literary merits I reproduce a poem
published in a Napanee paper thirty-six years after the sad occurrence:
Come all ye young people of every degree,
Read o’er these lines which are penned down by me;
And while you are reading these lines which are true,
Remember this warning is also for you.
In the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and nineteen,
On the twentieth of August on Sunday I mean,
The place where it happened I also wrote down
The loss may be told of in Adolphustown.
These people were in health and all in their prime,
All modestly clothed in apparel so fine,
To Church they were going their God to adore,
They to,reach the said place, had a Bay to cross o’er.
The boat being small and their number eighteen,
To go o’er together they all ventured in,
They launched away, singing a sweet exercise,
The moments near by them were hid from their eyes.
The voice of Jehovah speaks unto us all,
To always be ready and come at His call,
And while you are reading these mournful lines o’er,
Death may be sent for you and enter your door.
The boat being leaky the water came in,
To bail with their hats they too late did begin,
They looked at each other, beginning to weep,
The boat filled with water and sunk in the deep.
- Their friends on the shore, to help flew with speed, :
And eight of the number from the water was freed, °
he were brothers and sisters, and parents also
a heard the sad story which filled them with woe.
red to draw them to land,
our atone aaa
g hi ne’er_ saw | re;
150 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
There was John and Jane German, Peter Bogart also,
There was Mary and Jane Detlor in the water below,
There was Matilda Roblin and Betsy McCoy,
Betsy Clark, Huldah Madden and the late Mary Cole.
To unchangeable regions their spirits had fled,
And left their poor bodies inactive and dead,
They solemnly were borne into the Church yard
Their graves in rotation for them were prepared.
On the Monday following their coffins were made
And into the same their dead bodies were laid.
Their friends with loud weeping on the shore did stand, .
Their bodies preparing to enter the sand.
a a —
ie a er a die Vee et 1 La ws adi bein —
The sermon delivered on that mournful scene
By one, Isaac Puffer from Job, the nineteenth,
Although these dead bodies the worms may destroy,
They will see God in glory and fullness of joy.
rs sas —r a, _
i}
The sermon being o’er and brought to a close
With a few words of comfort addressed unto those,
Whose hearts were quite broken and filled with grief,
And in a few moments those bodies must leave.
And now we must leave them beneath the cold ground,
Till Gabriel’s trumpet shall give the last sound,
Arise ye that sleepeth, arise from the tomb,
And come forth to judgment to hear thy just doom.
It may not be generally known that the Canadian Society of
Friends also had its origin in the township of Adolphustown. As early
as 1790 two Quaker preachers came to the township by appointment, —
and held services there; and the Society was first organized in Upper —
Canada by James Noxon, who lived in Adolphustown. We find his
name among the list of inhabitants as late as 1814, at which time he is _
said to have moved to the township of Sophiasburgh, which is probably
correct, as his name does not appear upon the records after that date.
He was pathmaster in 1797 and 1708 and clerk of the township i in ).
It is not improbable that one of his chief reasons for removing \ v
he aera be in closer touch with the Bvientie of that aia y
H ae
; * 4 } : . J ‘ : : :
m j was S }
‘ * i ;
; iv - alm i
J - fc 2 —_
i ~* eet : ‘, ae
r;.
ADOLPHUSTOWN 151
seed had taken deeper root. Just how Brother Noxon overcame his
scruples about taking the oath prescribed by the Statute to be taken by
every officer of the township the records do not inform us.
Among the prominent men hailing from this old township some
mention should be made of David Roblin. He was born in 1812 and
in 1832 moved to Napanee where he engaged in business. He was a
Reformer of the Baldwin school, and first entered public life as repre-
sentative of the township of Richmond in the District and County Coun-
cils, which position he held for eighteen years, and.rendered such good
service to the municipality electing him and the united counties at large
that he achieved the unique distinction of filling the warden’s chair for
seven consecutive years. In 1854 he was elected to Parliament over the
Honourable Benjamin Seymour, and continued to represent this county
until 1861, when he was defeated by Mr. Augustus Hooper. Upon the
occasion of his death in 1863 the Napanee Standard, which had always
opposed him in politics, paid the following tribute to his memory: “In
all his business transactions he had the reputation of being an honest
man and an upright dealer. He was of a disposition to secure many
friends and in business this often cost him too much. He was too gen-
erous to secure and lay up much wealth, although at various times he
possessed a large amount of property. He was highly respected and
esteemed by all who knew him; even by his strongest political opponents.
A most obliging friend and neighbour he had many warm friends.”
152 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER VIII
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH
The Township of Ernesttown, the second township laid out in this
part of Upper Canada and hence known as Second Town, was named
after Prince Ernest, the eighth child of King George III. It is described
by Deputy Surveyor-General Collins, whose report of the survey bears
date November 7th, 1783, as “a tract of land six miles square situate
on the north side of Lake Ontario, bounded in front by the said lake,
and in depth by the ungranted lands belonging to the King; on the east
by the ungranted lands as aforesaid, and on the west by a township
marked on the plan No. 3 (Fredericksburgh).” He pays it the compli-
ment of having “twenty-three thousand and forty acres of land, which
appear to be equal in quality to the best lands in America.”
This township was first settled in 1784 by members of the Second
Battalion of Sir John Johnson’s regiment, the King’s New York Royal
Rangers. The Report of the Ontario Bureau of Archives, 1905, thus
epitomizes the career of this illustrious soldier: “The name of Sir John
Johnson is overshadowed by the greater name of Sir William Johnson,
his father. Yet his own services were many and important. He joined
the army as a volunteer in the Revolutionary War and operated largely Vi
among the Mohawk Indians. He raised and commanded a regiment
of two battalions in Canada, named the Royal Greens. He defeated
Herkimer in 1777 at Fort Stanwix and suffered defeat in 1780 at Fox’s
Mill. He was knighted by the King at London in 1765. After the war
he was appointed Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs in British
North America, Colonel-in-Chief of the six battalions of the militia of
the Eastern Townships, and a member of the Legislative Council. He
resided in Montreal. He married Mary, daughter of John Watts, Presi-
dent of the Council, New York, and had one son William, a colonel in
the British army, killed at Waterloo. Sir John died at Montreal in
1822.”
It will be remembered that in the allotment of the townships Cap-
tain Grass was given his choice and selected the first township, King-_
ston, the main consideration which moved him being its proximity to
Cataraqui; but the followers of Johnson, and their descendants, have |
had no cause to regret the choice made by their leader, as the Deputy
in 1e to pitch the tent and prepare a hasty meal. Exhausted with the
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 153
Surveyor-General was not amiss in his description of the soil, although
_ far astray as to the present dimensions and acreage of the township.
As a matter of fact Ernesttown contains 68,644 acres, and the inhabi-
tants still maintain that it is “equal in quality to the best lands in
America.”
If we could have passed along the bay in the early spring of 1784
from the site of the present village of Bath to that of Millhaven we
would have witnessed a remarkable scene. ‘There, scattered among the
openings in the dense forest, were pitched scores of military tents,
which had seen years of service in the Revolutionary War. Wandering
along the beach, or fishing from the sides of the large bateaux anchored
a short distance from shore, were the sunburned veterans from the
Mohawk Valley and the Upper Hudson. Hovering over the camp-fires,
preparing the rations that had been doled out by the officers in charge,
were the housewives, attired in their quaint costumes, while the restless
children chased the curious squirrels through the wood or amused them-
selves with casting pebbles in the water. ;
To the number of four hundred, the largest company assembled in
any township, they thus waited for weeks, until the surveys were
completed and the lots ready for the drawing. Among them were many
men who had left, or been driven from, comfortable homesteads in the
State of New York, for no other offence than loyalty to the throne
which they had been taught to respect. If we could have mingled among
them we would have heard the familiar names, Miller, Fairfield, F raser,
Booth, Baker, Mabee, Rose, Finkle, Pruyn, Brisco, Snider, Amey, and
scores of others which have from that day to this been associated with |
the steady march of progress of this grand old township.
Finally the survey was completed, the drawings took place, and as
the head of each family received his location ticket he pulled his stakes,
shouldered his tent, and the little procession, father, mother, and children,
moved away towards their new home. Their belongings were few,—a
bundle of clothes, some bedding, and cooking utensils, so few indeed,
that in most instances they could all be carried upon their backs. Hav-
_ ing arrived at the destined spot they laid down their burdens and gazed
about them. They were all impressed with the loneliness of the dense
forest, which only here and there admitted a ray of sunshine, yet this
Was to be their home. That word, with all its tender associations of the
, how empty it sounded! Before the night set in they had barely
C 2 urs of the Kes and overcome with emotions to which none dared
vi
154 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
What dreams disturbed those slumbers in the stillness of the for-
est night, broken only by the hooting of an owl, or the howling of some
wild beast startled by the unexpected presence of the strange intruders
in their familiar haunts? Could their wildest nightmare picture the
obliteration of the forest, and see rising in its stead grassy slopes over
which wandered herds of well-kept stock, and stately homes from the
open windows of which came the notes of a piano accompanied with
songs Of merriment from well-dressed lads and maidens? Or, most
marvellous of all, a well-groomed husbandman and his modest spouse
speeding in a horseless carriage along a level highway, past spacious
barns and neat cottages connected by telephones, and before each of
which the empty mail box awaited the postman’s delivery of the daily
mail? We are safe in assuming that no such visions arose before the
tired sleepers.
How stupendous must the task before them have appeared, as on
the morrow they wandered over their domain to select a site for the log
cabin! On every side stood the tall timbers like stalwart giants raising
their proud crests one hundred feet about the ground, a silent challenge
to this puny creature, man, to dispute with them the mastery of the soil
over which they had held sway for a thousand years. There was no
time to moralize; a cabin must be built, and the stubborn forest sub-
dued. How well their work was done is attested by the comfortable
homesteads throughout the township to-day. The officers were favoured
by receiving lots upon the front, while the privates were located in the __
rear concessions; and as the children matured they settled upon the
lots back farther still.
The early history of Ernesttown does not differ materially from
that of Adolphustown in respect to the trials and privations of the pion- .
eers. As Adolphustown village was the legal centre of the Midland Dis-
trict outside of Kingston, so Ernesttown village, afterwards Bath, so
named after the famous English health resort, was the commercial and __
educational rival of Kingston, and promised, in its early days, to become
a town of importance. The township filled up so rapidly that in 1811
it had a population of 2,300, the largest of any township in the province.
It was about the time of the war of 1812 that the leading village of
the township was given its present name and, by 1816, notwithstanding _
the depression that had followed the war, it had made such progress —
that Samuel Purdy felt justified in establishing a stage line between the —
village and Kingston. ‘This first venture in the stage business proved —
so profitable to the proprietor that in the following year he inaugurated —
a line between Kingston and York, leaving Keasion every Monda y
-ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 155
morning at six o'clock and York every Thursday morning at the same
hour. This new enterprise was announced by the following advertise-
ment: “Persons wishing for a passage will call at Mr. David Brown’s
Inn, Kingston, where the stage books will be kept. From twenty to
twenty-eight pounds of baggage will be allowed to each passenger, over
this they must be charged for. All baggage sent by the stage will be
forwarded with care, and delivered with punctuality, and all favours
acknowledged by the public’s humble servant. (Signed) Samuel Purdy,
Kingston, January 23rd, 1817. N.B. stage fare eighteen dollars.”
Before the introduction of this stage line to York the ordinary
means of travelling between Kingston and “Muddy York” was by the
large flat-bottomed boat propelled by oars. Once a week this awkward
craft could be seen going up the bay to the Carrying Place where it was
hauled out of the water and turned over to Asa Weller, a tavern-keeper.
He had a low-wheeled truck waggon built for the purpose, upon which
the boat was placed and hauled across the isthmus by a yoke of oxen,
where it was again consigned to the water, and the oarsmen continued
their voyage along the shore to the capital.
The only alternative was by horseback, which served the purpose
very well if the traveller was not encumbered with much baggage. ‘The |
i usual starting point was from Finkle’s tavern at Bath, from which place
a4 a white guide conducted him to the Trent, where the Indian agent fur-
/ nished him with a native guide, who accompanied him along the Indian
trail through the forest to his destination.
i While Adolphustown village was the legal centre of the Midland
District after the establishing of the General Sessions, Bath may claim
the distinction of being the seat of the first court held in Mecklenburgh
(the name was changed in 1792) by Judge Cartwright, and as this was
before any court-houses were built, Finkle’s tavern was used for the
purpose.
The old village also has the distinction, we will not say honour, of
being the scene of the first execution by hanging in Canada, and the
saddest part of the story is that the victim, who thus paid the death
penalty by being swung from the limb of a tree near the old tavern, was
innocent of the crime of which he was convicted. He was charged with
_ stealing a watch, circumstantial evidence pointed to him as the thief;
_but he protested his innocence, claiming that he had purchased it from a
_ pedlar. The evidence could not have been conclusive and consisted
mainly of the finding of the stolen article in his possession; but this, in
the opinion of the judge, cast upon the accused the onus of proving
w he came by it. The pedlar belonged to the itinerant class, and had
7
y
°
, ee -
ja ‘
J a
=
156 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
passed on to some other section of the country, where he could not be
reached. The prisoner could not, under the law as it then stood, give
evidence on his own behalf, so, by reason of his failure to establish his
innocence, the general rule of law was inverted and he died upon the
gallows. While the judge was pronouncing sentence a spectator in the
court interrupted the proceedings by protesting against the conviction:
but the audience was in sympathy with the finding of the court and
hissed him down. A few months later a pedlar repassing through the
neighbourhood confirmed the words of the unfortunate man by stating
that the watch in question had been sold by him under the circumstances
alleged by the prisoner at the time of his trial. The date of this trial is
unknown, but it must have been some time between 1787, when the first
criminal court was held at Bath, and 1793, after which the courts were
held alternately at Adolphustown and Kingston.
At this first criminal court a negro was convicted of stealing a loaf
of bread and was sentenced to receive twenty-nine lashes. No interval
of time passed between the sentence and the execution in the early
days, otherwise the first hanging might not have taken place. ‘There
was no whipping-post ready to receive the convict, so he was lashed to
a bass-wood tree but a few yards from the hotel; and the court ad-
journed for a few minutes to allow the spectators an opportunity to
witness the whipping. The bass-wood tree served its purpose so admir-
ably that it was adopted as a part of the equipment of the court; and
for many years after it ceased to hold its victims in position to receive
the lash it was pointed out to travellers as one of the objects of interest
in the village.
The road between Bath and Kingston was one of the first, if not
the first, road of any importance built in the province and, when the
original mail road from Kingston to York was first laid out Bath was
considered too important a place to be ignored; and the road followed
the shore from Kingston to Bath, continuing through Adolphustown to
Young’s Point, then known as Dorland’s Point. Here a ferry carried
the travellers across to Lake-on-the-Mountain, whence the road con-
tinued to the head of Picton Bay and through Prince Edward County,
passing Bloomfield, Wellington, and Consecon to the Carrying Place,
thence along the lake front to York. This road, as finally completed,
was known as the Danforth Road, having been built under government
contract by one Asa Danforth, who commenced operations in 1798, and
completed his contract in 1801. Danforth had his headquarters at Bath,
where he lived» with Henry Finkle. gah
e
te ‘ oe AY ’ oe)
a tere ee eee
ty -
THE FAIRFIELD RESIDENCE. BATH.
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH. BATH.
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 157
General Simcoe conceived the idea of a grand military highway
extending from one end of the province to the other, to which he gave
the name of Dundas Street, but his term of office was terminated shortly
after its construction was begun, and it was many years before it was
completed.
The first macadamized road built in the province of Ontario was
that portion of Dundas Street lying between Kingston and Napanee.
This once magnificent highway was commenced in 1837 and completed
in 1839. It was due to the enterprise of John Solomon Cartwright, then
judge of the Midland District Court and member of the Legislative
Assembly, that the plan of Governor Simcoe was revived, and the pro-
vincial government was induced to set apart $120,000 for the undertak-
ing, which sum it was expected would be repaid from the tolls collected
at the gates placed upon the road every five miles. The engineer in
‘charge of its construction was James Cull, grandfather of Mrs. H. 7.
Forward'and Mrs. Peter Bristol of Napanee. The work was well done,
but the cost exceeded the estimate, so that it was necessary to obtain a
j further grant of $12,000 from the government in order to complete it.
In 1859 the united counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington
| purchased the road from the government for $49,200 to be paid in
if twenty equal annual instalments of $2,460 each, without interest. When _
; the united counties were divided in 1864 and Lennox and Addington
_____ became a separate municipality, the county of Frontenac assumed the
obligation to the government, and the two counties adjusted the liability
____ by Lennox and Addington undertaking to pay to Frontenac the sum of
, $20,000 in equal instalments, extending over the same period as the
original debt to the government.
Regarding the negotiations for the purchase of the road which were
first commenced in 1850, the Napanee Bee of July 16th, 1852, says edi-
torially: “We are gratified to learn that the Counties’ Warden, D. Rob-
lin, Esq., our thoroughly enterprising townsman, has effected a reduc-
tion in the price of the Kingston and Napanee Macadamized road. It
_ will be remembered that the road was struck off to the Warden on
behalf of the Counties’ Council for £15,400. It will also be remembered
that the county objected to the legality of all the bids over £12,300, and
they claimed that they were entitled to the road at that price, that hav-
ing been the Warden’s bid.
“On October 28th, 1850, the Warden laid the matter before the
government, asking a reduction. The claim of the council has been
finally acceded to, and the road now stands at £12,300 against the
counties ; only $2,300 above the upset price and more than £3,000 less
eo eee
158 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
than private parties would have gladly paid. We trust that this fact
will have the effect to enable the people of these counties to determine
as to who is the most deserving their gratitude and confidence, the man
who prates about government abuses, and which, peradventure, have
* only an ideal existence, and who labours not assiduously for the good
of the counties; or him who exerts his abilities untiringly and efficiently
in their behalf.”
Frontenac kept up the payments to the government, and collected
annually from this county the amount agreed upon until a few years
after Confederation, when through some means, which perhaps it might
be well not to inquire into too carefully, Frontenac discontinued the
payments, and Lennox and Addington took advantage of the situation
and made no further contributions to the coffers of the sister county on
account of the purchase price of the road. For many years after this
new route for the government road had been adopted the line of travel
still continued along the shore from Kingston to Bath and thence to
Napanee.
In turning over the old Statutes of 1828 the writer ran across an
Act, from the preamble of which, if he did not observe the date, one
might infer that it was of quite recent origin. It reads as follows:
“‘Whereas in consequence of a dispute having arisen between the justices
of the peace of Ernesttown and the justices of the peace of Fredericks-
burgh, in the Midland District, respecting the right of either party of
such justices to take charge of a public road running from front to
rear between the aforesaid townships of Ernesttown and the gore of
Fredericksburgh, or to which party of right the making and repairing
of such road belongs; in consequence of which dispute, the aforesaid
road, though much travelled from necessity, is dangerous and difficult
to travel on account of being left, in a great measure for a long time
past, without being mended and improved.” Although there is excel-
lent material for making good roads in every part of this county the
civic authorities are for the most part pursuing the same policy that
was introduced by the Act respecting “Statute duties on Highways and
Roads” passed in 1798, with the result that our highways may be classed
among the worst in the province; and it is not to our credit that that
part of the first macadamized road in the province lying within the
limits of this county has by neglect lost all resemblance to what it was —
eighty years ago.
In the chapter upon schools I have dealt at some length upon the
deep interest the first settlers of Ernesttown took in the matter of edu-
cating their youth. ; | a
4
Are ores
ee ee a ee
Pee ee ery wit Pe TY uli I Fadia a. . ot oe
: ny } 7 7 * ‘ ‘
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH . 159
A century ago Bath was the military centre of the county where
the volunteers from the other townships used to meet for training; and
during the war of 1812 the township contributed the following officers
for the defence of our county: Lieutenant-Colonel James Parrott, Cap-
tains Joshua Booth, C. Fralick, Norris Brisco, Peter Daly, Robert Clark,
and Sheldon Hawley; Lieutenants Davis Hambly, Henry Day, John
Richards, Daniel Fraser, Robert Worlet; and Ensigns Isaac Fraser,
David Lockwood, Daniel Simmons, Abraham Amey, Solomon John, and
John Thorp, Senior.
While the present inhabitants of this township are largely prohibi-
tionists their forefathers were evidently not so inclined, as the first
brewery and distillery in Upper Canada was built by John Finkle not
far from Bath; and to afford the public an opportunity of sampling his
products his brother Henry kept for many years the only tavern between
Kingston and York.
The Kingston Gazette of April 19th, 1817, announced “A Pearl and
Pot Barley Factory is to be established in Ernesttown. It is said this
is the first establishment of the kind we recollect to have heard of in
Upper Canada. We have seen some of the barley and think it equal to
that imported. Such domestic manufactories ought to be encouraged
by the community.” As Gourlay writing of the same year states that
there was a barley hulling mill in Ernesttown we conjecture that both
writers referred to the same establishment.
During the first twenty years of the settlement of this county nearly
1 all of the buildings were constructed of squared logs, which could be
shaped for the walls quite easily by the aid of the cross-cut saw and the
adze. They were substantial and durable, cool in summer, and warm in
winter. Lumber was not used for the simple reason that there were no
means of producing it except with the whip-saw, to operate which
required such exertion that lumber was used only for the manufacture
_ of furniture, vehicles, doors, and other articles where it was impractic-
able to use the heavier material. With the introduction of saw-mills
towards the close of the eighteenth century lumber became more com-
mon; but the log-house still found favour with the inhabitants. The
‘saw-mills, as a rule, were furnished with a vertical saw, and the power
was obtained from the old-fashioned undershot wheel, although in some
o stances that were favourable for its erection the overshot wheel was
——
ae ee me
160 i HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
the fur trade with the Indians. At the breaking out of the Revolution-
ary War he sided with the King and met the fate of most of the Loyal-
ists by having his property confiscated, and was compelled to seek safety
in flight. Accompanied by his three sons he came to Quebec, where he
lived until his death about 1783.
His son, Henry, when only sixteen years of age enlisted in the
Engineer Department of the British army, where he became familiar
with the use of tools, which knowledge proved to be of great service to
him in after life. Upon receiving his discharge from the Engineer
Department he joined Major Jessup’s Battalion in the regiment under
the command of Sir John Johnson. At the conclusion of hostilities he
found himself among the refugees destined for the shores of the Bay
of Quinte and was alloted lot number six in the first concession of
Ernesttown. He built the first frame house in the township about the
year 1800 and, although there was a saw-mill at Napanee at the time,
he cut all the lumber ‘entering into its construction with the cross-cut
and whip-saw upon his own premises. He led the way along many lines :
and is credited with having built the first wharf upon the Bay of Quinte,
the first brewery, distillery, and Masonic Hall in the county.* He also ©
erected upon his own farm a school-house and teacher’s residence which |
ee
oe
i
Seen
|
he donated to the community, and the Masonic Hall he gave to his |
brethren of the order. He kept for many years the only tavern between
Kingston and York, and owned and operated several sailing vessels i
upon the lake and bay. He is said to have been the first man in Upper ;
Canada to emancipate his slaves. He died in 1808 and was buried in
Cataraqui cemetery.
After his death his widow retained for many years an interest in _
: his vessels and was part owner of the first steam-boat that plied upon ~
the waters of Lake Ontario. ‘The first timbers were laid in October,
1815, and she was launched and christened the Frontenac on Septem-
ber 7th, 1816. ‘The length of her keel was 150 feet, her deck 170; and iF
she cost about £20,000. Just before the launching of the Frontenac —
there came to Canada a young man named Henry Gildersleeve, a native }
of New Haven, Connecticut, where his father owned extensive ship- —
|
building yards. He was naturally attracted to the Finkle shipyard, and
upon paying it a visit he met a greater attraction in the person of Lucre
tia, the handsome daughter of Widow Finkle. He found congenial ©
employment in assisting to complete the Frontenac, married Lucretia,
* His biographer Anderson Chenault Quisinberry claims that the frame dwelling |
the brewery, distillery, and Masonic Hail were the first buildings of their kind in Upper —
Canada. See Genealogical Memocanda of the Quisinberry family and other fam
page 143. . oy
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 161
and in 1817 superintended in the same yard the construction of the
steamer Queen Charlotte, the first steam-boat upon the Bay of Quinte
route. This was the beginning of the shipbuilding industry of the
Gildersleeve family, who for nearly a century have taken a prominent
part in the navigation of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. The
Queen Charlotte was launched in the spring of 1818 and made semi-
weekly trips from the Carrying Place to Prescott, calling only upon the
bay at Trenton, Hallowell (Picton), Adolphustown, and Bath. Belle-
ville, then known as Meyer’s Creek, had not yet attained sufficient im-
portance to be included in the stopping places, and Deseronto was not
upon the map of the bay or yet given any name. R. R. Finkle, for
many years the jovial wharfinger at Bath, was a grandson of Henry, as
was also Henry Finkle who for many years carried on a carriage fac-
tory at Newburgh and operated a line of stage coaches between Kingston
and Napanee, one of which may be seen in our illustration of the
Dominion Hotel, Odessa.
I have referred elsewhere to the unpleasant experience of Mr.
Lyons in Adolphustown by reason of his having conducted religious ser-
vices not in accordance with the teaching of the Established Church.
More drastic measures appear to have been adopted in the case of Mr.
McCarty. The following is copied from a history of the Methodist
Church published in Hallowell (Picton) in 1832:
“In the course of the same year (1788) Mr. James McCarty
repaired to Canada and settled in Ernesttown. He was formerly from
Ireland; but remaining some time in the United States, and having fre-
quent opportunities of hearing the celebrated Whitfield when on his
last mission to America, he became a convert to the Whitfieldian cause,
and a zealous promoter of experimental religion. He made no preten-
tion of any union with the Methodist connection, either in Europe or
the United States; but professedly avowed himself one of Whitfield’s
followers.
“Soon after his arrival he began to warn sinners to flee from the
wrath to come and to encourage such as had tasted the comforts of reli-
gion in former days. He preached Christ to the people of the various
_ neighbourhoods, who generally attended his meetings in large numbers.
Being accustomed to the manners of the Church of England, he read his
bia but with that deep feeling and engagedness that they produced
a happy and lasting effect on the minds of his hearers. Convictions
were multiplied, which were succeeded by conversions; and numbers of
thodists that were in the country before him, joining heart and hand
q
'
a
4
Me
162 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
those who were advocates for the lifeless forms of the Church of Eng-
land. Fearing that Methodism might become established they soon
raised a persecution against Mr. McCarty, in order to extinguish the
flame of pure religion which had already begun to spread. There were
three individuals who ranked among the officials, and leading characters,
that were by far the most active in that infamous and wicked scheme.
Of these were the Sheriff, Mr. L , a militia captain, Mr. C ;
and the chief engineer. Mr. L , the sheriff often declared boldly
that there should be no religion established but that of the Church of
England. But yet the people would assemble in private houses, and Mr.
McCarty, true to his Master’s work, would meet with them and preach.
Greatly enraged at this, his enemies could fix no other alternative for its
abolition than that of banishing Mr. McCarty to the United States.
“An edict had been issued by the government, that all vagabond
characters should be banished from the country. They therefore seized
upon this advantage to effect the seclusion of Mr. McCarty with that
groundless pretext.
“As he was preaching one Sunday therefore at the house of Mr.
Robert Perry, Senior, four men armed with muskets came to apprehend
him and take him to the jail at Kingston. Being conscience-smitten,
doubtless for their atrocious design upon the Sabbath Day, they, how-
ever, left their arms at the house of Mr. Perry, a short distance from
the place of worship. Upon the bail of Mr. Perry for Mr. McCarty’s
appearance in Kingston on the following day, the men left him and
returned. On their arrival at Kingston the next day, Mr. Perry pre-
sented Mr. McCarty to the sheriff and demanded his bond given the
day before. But the sheriff refused absolutely to take any charges con-
cerning him. They therefore bid him good-bye, and retired. The
enemies of Mr. McCarty however, rallied the same day and thrust him
into prison, but he was again liberated by Mr. Perry’s bail. When the
time had expired for which he had been bailed, he with Mr. Perry
repaired again to Kingston to receive his destiny, where by the orders
of the chief engineer, he was put on board of a boat managed.by four
Frenchmen, who were directed to leave him on a desolate island in the
St. Lawrence. This they attempted to do, but through Mr. McCarty’s
resistance, they were induced to land him on the main shore, from
whence he returned home to his family and friends.”
The writer further states that McCarty, while on his way to Mon-
treal to institute proceedings against his persecutors, mysteriously dis-
appeared and was never heard of again. He concludes his account of
McCarty’s fate with the following suggestion of speedy retribution upon
: eo 4 } ASS " ~ ere ia
vy _ ie ne" ft ve ll Ate a ell ale
NR. ee a eee ee Oe ee Rk
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 163
the heads of the principal offenders: “Captain C afterwards fell
into a state of insanity, which continued many years and finally closed
with his death. The engineer who ordered McCarty to be left on the
desolate isle closed his career in eight or ten days afterwards, and Mr.
L——— also died suddenly in the course of two or three weeks.”
A great deal has been written about this celebrated case; and while
it is true that a man named McCarty was banished from the district as
a vagabond, it is not improbable that the facts have been distorted to
suit the views of each particular writer. The foregoing is inaccurate in
many details even as to the name of the alleged vagabond. The only
authentic account of the prosecution is presented in the official record
of the Court of Quarter Sessions held at Kingston on April 13th and
14th, 1790, at which the presiding justices were Richard Cartwright,
Neil McLean, and Archibald McDowall. From this it appears that only
one witness was called for the prosecution and seven for the defence;
yet the court, after hearing the evidence and conferring with the grand
jury, directed the accused ‘to leave the district. The record reads as
follows:
“Wednesday, April 14th, 1790, Charles Justin McCarty appears
upon his recognizance taken upon information that he is a vagabond,
imposter, and disturber of the peace. Witness for pro. sworn Benj.
4 Clapp. For defendant, John Ratton, Wm. Williams, Emanuel Elder-
ie beck, Alex. Laughlin, David Lent, Eliz. VanSickler, Florence Donovan.
. The court having heard the evidence for the prosecution, likewise the
| : evidence for the defendant, will deliberate on the merits of the informa-
__ tion against the defendant. The court having. consulted with the Grand
°§ Jury, do order that the said Charles Justin McCarty shall, within the
space of one month, leave this district and not return, and that the
Sheriff of this district shall see this order duly executed.”
At the sessions held on Tuesday, July 13th, 1790, the following
entry is made:
“Charles Justin McCarty having been apprehended and committed
by the Sheriff for having returned to this district after having left it,
in consequence of an order of the last Court of Quarter Sessions held
April 13th last, the court do order that the said Charles Justin McCarty
_ shall remain in gaol until the Sheriff shall find a proper conveyance for
_ sending him to Oswego.”
Historians have differed as to which township shall claim the dis-
tinction of having the first Methodist chapel in Upper Canada, Adol-
_ phustown or Ernesttown. Both were built after the same pattern, of
t he same size, under the direction of the same preacher, and in the same
eee ae
164 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
year, and at the best the little township can claim but a few weeks
advantage over the larger, yet we rarely hear any mention of the Losee
chapel in Ernesttown. James Parrott took charge of the financial end
and received the subscriptions; while Robert Clark, besides subscribing
ten pounds towards the building, superintended its erection, working up-
on it himself at five shillings and sixpence per day and, as it neared
completion and the funds were getting low, he reduced his own wages
to two shillings and ninepence per day. John Lake and Jacob Miller
also took an active part in raising funds and procuring material for its
construction. It was located about three and one-half miles east of
Bath on the bay shore on lot number twenty-seven. Many of the adher-
ents afterwards moved to the fourth concession and tore down the
church, took it with them, and re-erected it on the York Road near the
village of Odessa, where it stood for many years until replaced by the
brick church which is still standing. While the old church on the front
was being built the first Quarterly Meeting in Canada was held in Mr.
Parrott’s barn in the first concession on September 15th, 17092.
After the war of 1812 there was a very strong prejudice among
the Methodists of Upper Canada against the loyal Canadian adherents
of that denomination remaining under the jurisdiction of the Methodist
conference of the United States. The agitation continued until the year
1827, when the first Canada conference was held at the village of Hallo-
well (Picton), to which was presented a memorial that the Canadian
Church should become an independent body not later than the year 1828.
This memorial came before the general conference at Pittsburgh in May,
1828, and a resolution was passed granting the prayer of the Canada
Methodists. The second Canada conference was held in the Switzer
chapel in Ernesttown in October of the same year, and was presided
over by Bishop Hedding and, in accordance with the resolution of the
general conference, the Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada was
organized, and Rev. William Case was appointed the first General Super-
intendent.
‘The first Church of England clergyman to visit Upper Canada, in
fact the only refugee clergyman, was the Rev. John Stuart, frequently
styled the father of the Upper Canada Church. He was born at Harris-
burgh in 1730, received Holy Orders in 1770, and was appointed mis- Py
sionary to the Mohawks at Fort Hunter. He remained in charge of i}
this mission after war had been declared, but suffered so many indig- iT
nities at the hands of the revolutionists that he emigrated to St. John
in 1781. He taught school for some time in Montreal until he was
promised in the autumn of 1783 the chaplaincy to the garrison at Catara-
EAE eet
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH | 165
qui. He visited the settlements along the bay, at Niagara, and the Grand
River in the summer of 1784, and finally settled at Cataraqui in August,
1785, where he continued to live until his death in 1811. He was held
in such high esteem that he was appointed Chaplain to the Upper House
of Assembly at its first session in 1792, and was tendered, but declined,
the commission of the first judge of the Court of Common Pleas of the
Midland District. In 1799 he received the degree of D. D. from the
University of Pennsylvania and was the first Canadian to be thus hon-
oured by any educational institution.
From the second year of the settlement of Ernesttown the adherents
: of the Church of England: were accustomed to assemble on the Lord’s
; Day at the residence of Jeptha Hawley, in the neighbourhood which
still bears his name, and join in the service of the Church under his
[ leadershfp.
| The first Church of England clergyman to reside in this county
| and the second to be stationed in this part of Upper Canada was the
; Rey. John Langhorn, who came to Bath in the year 1790, and for many
: years was the only representative of his Church over the territory
: between Kingston and the Carrying Place. He was a pious but very
; . eccentric man, and could be seen going about his extensive parish
‘mounted on his pony, with a bag over his back, a broad-brimmed hat
_____ tied up at the sides, and his stockingless feet encased in low shoes
t ___ resplendent with large silver buckles. He was an expert swimmer, fond
of his plunge in the bay, and frequently swam from the mainland to
Amherst Island. He did not forego his outdoor bath even in the cold-
est weather, and in the winter season would dive through one hole in
' the ice and come up at another. For some time he was the only clergy-
man in the district outside of Kingston authorized to solemnize mar-
riages, and made it a rule never to perform the ceremony after eleven
o’clock in the morning and, being remarkably punctual himself in all
his appointments, he turned the key in the door of the church at eleven
if the prospective bride and groom were not on time, and refused to
Open it again that day.
In 1791 the Rev. Mr. Langhorn built St. Paul’s Church at Sand-
_ hurst, the first church erected in this county. It was constructed of
4 logs, was opened on Christmas Day of the same year and, by a strange
coincidence, was burned to the ground twenty-five years later on Christ-
‘mas Day. Three years later he built St. John’s Church at Bath, which
is stil standing, but has been repaired so often that little more than the
origina | foundation now remains.
166 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
At the outbreak of the war of 1812, he seems to have feared that
our country would be subdued by the republic to the south, and deter-
mined to return to England. In March, 1813, he inserted in the Kingston
Gazette a notice of his intention to quit the country and requested
all who had any objections to his going to acquaint him with them. If
any such were received they did not prevail upon him to alter his plans,
as he sailed in the following summer. Before leaving he presented his
books to the Social Library of Kingston, which gift was suitably
acknowledged in the Gazette as follows: “The Rev. Mr. Langhorn, of
Ernesttown, who is about returning to England, his native country, has
presented his valuable collection of books to the Social Library, estab-
lished in this village. ‘The directors have expressed to him the thanks
of the proprietors for his liberal donation. Many of the volumes are
very elegant, and it is to be hoped, will, for many years, remain a mem-
orial of his liberality and disposition to promote the diffusion of useful
knowledge among the people with whom he has lived as an Episcopal
Missionary more than twenty years. During that period his acts of
charity have been frequent and numerous, and not confined to members
of his own Church; but extended to indigent and meritorious persons of
all denominations. Many who have shared in his bounty will have rea-
son to recollect him with gratitude and to regret his removal from the
country.”
Fifty-seven years ago a keen observer and cautious writer said of
Bath: “This quaint-looking Dutch town has long been a standard stop-
ping place on the Bay of Quinte, and is much better known than many
villages of four times its size. Its population exceeds 400 souls, it has
a good many merchants’ stores, twice as many machine shops, several
factories, a shipyard, wharves, and warehouses, a custom-house, good
inns, two churches, an academy or grammar school, a post-office, and a
hundred other village adjuncts. Its distance from Kingston is seventeen |
miles, and there is almost hourly communication with that city by steam.
Bath does a much larger mercantile business than its size would imply,
being a place for storing and shipping grain.’’*
This was Bath at the time of the building of the Grand Trunk
Railway; but in vain to-day would we look for the machine shops and
factories. If that railway had entered Bath and crossed the Napanee ~
River four or five miles from the town, Bath to-day would have been a
thriving place, the county seat of Lennox and Addington, the centre of ©
the municipal, legal, and commercial life of the county, built upon a site’
*Dr. E. J. Barker in the ‘‘Transactions of the Board of Agriculture of Upper
Canada. 1855” “. al
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 167
'
unrivalled for the beauty of its location by any town in the province, or
if the railway had even touched at Bath it would have retained much of
its former importance.
An apparently trifling circumstance will often make or unmake an
individual or a locality; so it was in the case of Bath. The cupidity of
one man changed the destiny of this once beautiful and promising vil-
lage and destroyed the future, not only of the avaricious author of the
wrong, but of the entire community. It was the intention of the Grand
Trunk to run the line through Bath, but a certain land owner, whose
property would be crossed by the railway, made such exorbitant demands
upon the company for the right of way and caused the directors so
much annoyance and vexation in his determination to sell his land for
many times its real value, that, to escape further trouble, the plans were
altered, and the line avoided the village, which has ever since paid a
heavy penalty for the rapacity of this short-sighted individual.
' There may also be some force in the following comments upon
Millhaven by the same author: “This is the site upon which Bath should
have been built, being two miles nearer Kingston, and being the mouth
. of Mill Creek, the only stream that empties itself within the boundaries
- 80 8 oe Ve Oee aa, rue
of this county (Addington). Here is sufficient water-power to turn
many mills, though only one large grist-mill is erected, and this serves
Amherst Island and a great part of the neighbouring country. At Mill-
ef haven resides I. Fraser, Esq., the county registrar, the only county
officer except the warden who resides out of Kingston. The village has
7 a population of 150 souls, and contains a post-office, inn, merchants’ and
af mechanics’ shops.” While it is quite true that Millhaven possesses the
1 natural advantage of a fair water-power, time has not demonstrated
that that alone can preserve a village from decay.
Bath possesses a style of architecture all its own, the old frame
____ buildings, with the covered balconies. There are several of these old
mercantile houses providing for a store or place of business in the lower
story and a dwelling-house in the upper. They seem to belong to an-
other age and carry us back to the days of our grandfathers. It requires
but little effort upon our part to re-people them as they were eighty
years ago. Standing in the doorway is the master of the house, clad in
knee-breeches and cut-away coat with high rolling collar, and a black
scarf about his neck. As he gazes out upon the lake he takes a pinch of
snuff from a silver box which he closes with a snap and tucks away in
the pocket of his silk waistcoat. Upon the balcony above his spouse is
sitting upon a straight-backed chair to relieve the pressure of the tight-
fitting bodice, the lower part of which terminates in a V-shaped point
168 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
and makes the huge crinoline look twice as big as it really is. The next
moment we are aroused from our reverie and brought back to the twen-
tieth century by the appearance of a modern residence sandwiched in
between these relics of “ye olden time.”
Bath is a strange admixture of the past and present, but so pro-
nounced are the evidences of its former busy life in an age that knew
not cement walks and plate-glass windows, that we almost regret that
these modern innovations were ever introduced. Above it all there is.
an atmosphere of refinement, a certain something that recalls the
Frasers, Clarks, Fairfields, Shibleys, and others whose names we rever-
ence, men who rise far above our estimate of the present generation, for
they began with nothing but their strong right arms and hearts of steel;
they worked upon the raw material, and left us the fruits of their
labours. When we are brought face to face with these quaint reminders
of the sturdy pioneers, and look upon the old firesides, before which they
sat planning for the uplifting and comfort of their posterity, we are pay-
ing but a small portion of the debt we owe if we pause to give expres-
sion to our veneration for the builders of the oldest village in the pro-
vince of Ontario.
Some of the historic old landmarks in and about Bath are still
standing. .In driving along the bay shore a little less than one mile
west of the outskirts of the village there may still be seen on the farm
now owned by Mr. Isaac Brisco, an old one-story frame dwelling that
differs little from many other old houses in the county, except that it
bears the unquestionable marks of antiquity. That was the old Finkle
tavern, the first public-house between Kingston and York. About twenty
yards west of it stood the old bass-wood tree, the first whipping-post in
Upper Canada. From the highway we can command a view of the bay
shore, and jutting out into the water is a gravelly point now overgrown
with scrubby cedars and showing not a trace of the industry that was
carried on there a century ago,—the shipyard from which was launched
the first steamer built in Upper Canada.
As we near the village, just before crossing the bridge our atten-
tion will be attracted by another quaint old residence on the bay shore,
a frame building with a stone addition built on the west end of it. Here
lived the Rev. John Langhorn; the stone addition was built by him for
a study, and in it was stored his famous collection of books.
As we enter the village we pass the town-hall, not nearly so old as
the style of its architecture would suggest. This may be said to have
been built under compulsion in 1866. The courts used to be held in the
lower story of the school building, and besides being cold and unco:
Bd
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 169
fortable, the noise from the exercises in the room above interrupted the
proceedings, and His Honour Judge Burrows objected to delivering his
judgments to the accompaniment of the multiplication table recited in
unison by the junior class in the upper story. He lectured the council
of the village upon the poor accommodation provided, and removed the
court to Millhaven, promising to return when a suitable court-room was
placed at his disposal. This had the desired effect, the council took
prompt action, and the present town-hall was erected.
Several destructive fires have wiped out many of the old buildings,
and among them the old tavern, where now stands the modern Bay
View Hotel. Over the way is an old stone building, the original store of
B. F. Davy & Co. There were few industries in Bath sixty years ago
in which the Davys did not have an interest. The old frame tavern
now replaced by the brick one was kept by Peter Davy, and under its
| roof was born and brought up Benjamin C. Davy, the first lawyer of
prominence and the first Mayor of Napanee. General merchants, liquor
dealers, tavern-keepers, grain buyers, farmers, and ship-builders, the
Davys were a busy family.
The old frame building west of the Bay View Hotel and occupied
if for many years as a store by Mr. E. McKenty was many years ago the
_ old VanClake hotel. Going down the east side of Church Street there
will be found standing at the water’s edge a comfortable looking old
rough-cast house in an excellent state of preservation, in which lived a
century ‘ago Mr. Benjamin Fairfield, a representative of Lennox and
Addington in the sixth Parliament of Upper Canada.
When visiting the village it might be well to continue the journey
two miles farther east to Millhaven. Just after crossing Mill Creek we
will come to an old rough-cast house on our left, the home of Isaac
Fraser, representative of our county in the Legislative Assembly from
1817 to 1820; and a few feet east of the house will be seen a small stone
building, the first registry office in the county of Lennox and Addington.
Passing on through the village there are few relics of the olden days
until we reach the home of Mr. Frederick Wemp, who will show us the
taproom in which the Widow Losee, generations ago, served liquid
refreshments to the gentry from Kingston, when exercising their spirited
horses along the first well constructed road in this part of Upper Can-
ada.
The following is a list of the business men of Bath during the past
sixty-five years:
Merchants: B. F. Davy & Co., James Donnolly, John Lasher,
John Nugent, Samuel Rogers, Rogers & Wright, W. H. Davy & Co., J.
ba Re ae
tt mee ©
ee ee
= yr"
ac ; ° aoe
"4 . \ eh
170 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
& S. Lasher, Daniel McBride, F. & M. McMullen, Richard Olds, E.
D. Priest, S. & M. T. Rogers, John S. Rowse, Edw. Wright, D. T. For-
ward, Balfour & Armstrong, Chas. Cummings, Mrs. Chas. Fairfield,
Gautier Ferrin, Mrs. Nancy Grant, P. B. Hogle, Edmund McKenty, D
J. Campbell, Frank H. Priest, Hudson Rogers, D. T. Rowse, Joseph
Trimlet, Mrs. E. B. Wright, Thomas E. Howard, Wm. Johnston, Over-
ton Ball, Charles Burley, J. M. Wemp & Co., W. H. Hall, R. Mott, E.
H. Wemp, Robinson Bros.
Wharfingers and Ship-owners, Grain and Coal: W. H. Davy, Allen
Dame, R. R. Finkle, G. A. Wartman.
Carriage Makers and Blacksmiths: Balfour and Armstrong, Wm.
Cardwell, John Williams, E. D. Priest, Samuel Rogers, Billings Laird,
Charles Lewis, Charles Campion, Webster Middleton, Fairfield & Boyes,
Chas. Collins, Allen Lewis, Jedediah Fry, Charles Lewis, George Moran,
Maxwell Robinson, Armstrong Bros., W. J. Calver, Samuel Jaynes.
Tailors: William Blair, James Harris, Matthew Sharp, Andrew
Blair, J. Covert, Jos. Trimlet, Peter Pappa.
Carpenters and Builders: Abraham Harris, Davis Asselstine, Lyons
& Richards, Richard Ruttan, John Shepherd, A. W. Davy, J. H. Mur-
doch.
Hatter: Wm. Burley.
Saddlers and Harness Makers: S. B. Hart, Reuben Greaves, R. R.
Finkle, James Johnston, Thos. C. Johnston, Robert Mott, Thos. Sea-
ward, J. J. Johnston, Wm. Shibley, E. P. Shepherd.
Shoemakers: F. Prest, Wm. Buzby, Daniel Hickey, Patrick
McQuirk, W. & E. Reeves, Thos. Bain, Robert Kittson, Wm. Topliff, °
Lemuel Irons.
Cabinet-Makers: D. T. Forward, Elias Price, Thos. Gardner,
‘Hiram A. Hoselton.
Ship-Builders: P. R. Beaupre, W. H. Davy & Co., Luke Cun-
ningham.
Iron-Founders: Charles Tripp, D. T. Forward.
Tinsmiths: Harry Boyle, W. H. Hall.
One of the chief if not indeed the main industry, in this as well as
all other townships in this section to-day, is the manufacture of cheese. —
We take it as a matter of course that every farmer shall have a certain
number of milch cows and that in the neighbourhood there shall be a _
cheese factory. It was not so fifty years ago, and the following letter
written by Dr. Depew from Odessa on July 6th, 1866, shows how the j
innovation was viewed at that time: “A few mornings ago I was pz
ing through the north-western part of the township along by N
Sy FN ae oa I eT
CON eee —
Se See a ee
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 171
Switzer’s, the Switzer Chapel, and so on up what is called the Seventh
Concession Road, and truly to any person who can enjoy the beauties of
country scenery, no finer ride than this may be sought for, early on a
summer’s morning.
“Marks of industry and thrift are abundant everywhere; beautiful
fields of waving grain advancing to the harvest, good fences, commodious
outbuildings, and tasteful and convenient dwellings embellish the’ pic-
ture.
“Free from the noise, and smoke, and bustle, and anxiety of the
crowded city, truly no man in this country at least is as happy as the —
honest independent farmer.
“As I passed the various farmyards, contemplating the beautiful
prospect around me, my attention was suddenly arrested by a sight
rather new to me. Sitting on elevated platforms near almost every resi-
dence and glittering in the rays of the morning sun, were large tinned
cans, into which I espied the fair milkmaids straining the early products
of the lowing kine. Ah! thought I at first, are our Canadians imitating
the Hollanders, and preparing curd for winter use, by curdling milk
and separating the whey through barrels with perforated bottoms? No!
I answered to myself, the Dutch thus prepare their curdled buttermilk,
but this milk is sweet and new. ‘The idea of a cheese factory then
occurred to my mind; and soon after I met a boy with a horse and wag-
gon gathering up the milk cans, who confirmed my supposition by in-
forming me that there were two in the neighbourhood.
“On my return from Napanee, I availed myself of the opportunity
and visited these two novel institutions. The first is situated about five
miles east of Napanee, is the elder of the two, and was first put in oper-
ation by Yankee enterprise, some time last year. In this one I received
every information respecting the process of cheese manufacturing and
was shown a beautiful display of cheeses they had made this year, all
through the kindness and attention of a very intelligent, good-looking,
and attractive lady, who was busy in the establishment. One very fine-
looking cheese I observed was marked July 4th in honour of the day
(although a very rainy day). She seemed a little annoyed by the opposi-
tion factory in the neighbourhood and thought it hardly fair, when they
had made the attempt first and gone to considerable expense in import-
ing apparatus, after they thought it would be a paying concern.
“The next factory, about a mile further east and situated by a
) little brook, is the property of a company in the neighbourhood. It
| was put in operation this year under the management of a Mr. Chat-
172 < HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
man and seems to be doing’ a good business. In both factories the vats
for curdling the milk are capable of containing about 500 gallons. Mr.
Chatman told me that he found the vat in his factory too small, and
that another was in process of construction. He said that they had
worked up 450 gallons of milk that morning and that their daily re-
ceipts were constantly increasing. He estimates ten pounds of milk to
one pound of cheese, consequently in round numbers they must be turn-
ing out over 400 pounds of cheese per day.
“The cheese which are already manufactured have a very excellent
appearance, and considering the utility of cheese as an article of diet its
manufacture should be encouraged. Our country is not as well fitted
perhaps for the production of large quantities of dairy products as some
which have shorter and less severe winters; still it pays those engaged in
this business sufficiently to encourage others to engage in it also.
“There is undoubtedly a great saving effected both in labour and
material by the intervention of those factories, and we trust they will
meet with the patronage they deserve, and that they will endeavour to
manufacture cheese which will be-a credit to the country that produced
them, and make the name of Ernesttown famous for ‘Good Cheese’ in
places near and far.”
The writer has driven scores of times down the York Road from
Napanee to Odessa and was aware that in so doing he passed through
Morven; yet at no stage of the journey was he quite able to satisfy him-
self just where that interesting place was, where it began, or where it
ended, and it is only quite recently upon inquiring from the old residents
that he has learned that it begins somewhere on the west side of the
town line, loses itself somewhere on the other side of Storms’ Corners,
and takes in considerable territory lying both north and south of the
York Road between these two indefinite points.
In the olden days Morven was noted for its taverns and politics,
which were closely associated, especially about election time, for the
only polling-place in the county for many years was at Morven; and as
the poll was held in one of the several wayside inns and the election
lasted several days, and treating was considered quite the proper thing,
and whiskey was cheap, it is very easy to conclude that it was to the
interest of the tavern-keeper to remain on favourable terms with the
party in power. .
‘The old Fralick tavern stood on the north side of the road just east
of the town line, in fact the building is still standing, but has been —
remodelled into the farmhouse of Mr. B. B. Vanslyck. In the east end
+ MSO US. VETS Gh ee:
evoked the praise of all who followed the case.
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 178
was the bar. The building across the way now used as a drive house
was the old tavern barn. The old Gordanier tavern stood just east of
the intersection of the Violet Road with the York Road. This was one
of the best equipped public-houses between Kingston and Little York
and was the headquarters for the travelling public and the stage-coaches.
It has been torn down and no trace of it now remains. The rivalry
between these two hostelries was very keen, and during a hotly contested
election there was more politics to the square acre in | this neighbourhood
than in any other place in the county.
Under the new order of things, with the introduction of the rail-
way, the disappearance of the stage-coach, and the opening of polls in
various parts of the county, Morven has ceased to cut a figure in elec-
tions, and the seat of war has been transferred to Odessa. It is said
that one candidate, after returning from a canvas of that village, re-
ported to his committee that the two polls at Odessa after a careful
revision of the lists showed twenty-one votes for himself, nineteen for
his opponent, and two hundred and sixty doubtful. There must have
been something in the Morven atmosphere that created a thirst, as there
was still another tavern at Storms’ Corners kept by Jeremiah Storms.
It, too, has disappeared, and the Corners can boast of nothing at the
present time more exciting than a farmhouse.
Upon the second farm on the road to Violet there lived some eighty
years ago Dr. Samuel Neilson, who combined the practice of medicine
with farming. His territory joined that of the famous Dr. Chamberlain,
who lived on the Hamburgh road in the stately old frame house still
standing on the banks of the creek. Dr. Neilson had a son Joseph, a
bright, intelligent young man of no mean literary ability, who in 1837
won a gold medal in a keenly contested competition for the best essay
upon Emigration to Upper Canada. He taught school for a time at
Morven and afterwards kept a store there; but all the while was discon-
tented with his surroundings, longed for a wider sphere of activity, and
finally cut away from his early associations and went to New York. He
studied law, in the course of time became a noted practitioner, and was
elevated to the bench. He was the presiding judge at the Beecher-
Tilden trial, which lasted over four months and was watched from day
to day by a score or more of critical reporters representing the secular
and religious press of the English-speaking world. In the maze of con-
flicting testimony and hair-splitting technicalities he maintained through-
out a patient, dignified composure, and by his fair and impartial rulings
His remains now lie
side those of his <achene 3 in the grave-yard of the White Church.
174 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Lake’s carriage factory was at one time the leading industry of
Morven, which also had two general stores and a drug store. Frederick
Kellar had a tannery fifty years ago over on Big Creek, and midway
between it and the York Road on the town line Daniel Perry had an-
other. ‘The stores, taverns, tanneries, and all other evidences of the
attempts to make Morven a commercial centre have passed away, and
nothing remains to-day to distinguish it from any other ordinary coun-
try road.
While Wilton is to-day a tidy little hamlet, surrounded by an excel-
lent agricultural country, in the hands of a prosperous and contented
population; yet it is not the Wilton it was fifty years ago. Perhaps the
hundred or more who live within a radius of half a mile of the corner
which used to be called Simmons’ Mills are not prepared to admit that
Wilton has retrograded during the past two generations; but the fact
remains that it has shared the fate of every small country village not
possessing some special privileges which enable it to compete with the
larger centres. In 1856 the Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada
offered a prize of £15 for the best essay upon the county of Addington,
which was awarded to Dr. E. J. Barker of Kingston, who thus summed
up all that was to be said about Wilton:
“This is an old place of business, but is not a large village, its popu-
lation straggling and scarcely amounting to 150 souls, all told. Big
Creek, which empties into Hay Bay, takes its rise a few miles to the
eastward and passes through the village, turning a couple of mills in its
progress. But Wilton owes its importance and standing to being the
residence of Sidney Warner, Esq., a leading merchant of the county,
and who for many years has been the reeve of Ernesttown. Here he
does a very extensive business, having large mills at a short distance,
and being known far and near as a man of trust and probity. Besides
Mr. Warner’s there are several other establishments in Wilton, and one
good, well kept, clean inn, that of Mr. Simmons. Wilton is sixteen
miles from Kingston and four miles from Mill Creek, turning off to
the north at the latter place, with a good road all the way. The coun-
try round about the village is excellent.” Mr. Warner died in 1886 at
the ripe old age of seventy-nine, loved and respected by all who knew
him; and with him departed the life of the neat little village he had
created. The excellent country still remains; upon the rural mail boxes —
appear the same family names that are to be found upon the monuments ~
in the old cemetery, the same old golden rule is observed; but Wilton |
is not the same, Sidney Warner, the spirit of the place, is not there.
“i
>?
order came the tavern of Jacob Comber built on the corner of the Wil-
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 175
A perusal of the following business directory of Wilton of sixty
years ago will give the reader a fair idea of the place it then held among
the smaller villages of the county:
Bartram, Joseph, Shoemaker. Simmons, Benj., Grist and saw-
Beatty, Dawson, Cabinet-maker. mills.
Beesley, Nathaniel, Blacksmith. Simmons, Henry, Inn-keeper.
Davy, John, Saddler. Smith, John, Blacksmith.
Hill, John, Carriage Maker. Sole, Dubois, Shoemaker.
Ovens, William, Carriage Maker. Taylor, Dr. H., Physician.
Perrault, Nicholas, Mason. Thompson, Wm., Carpenter.
_ Phillips, William, Tailor. Thompson, James, Carpenter.
Pultz, Henry, Merchant. Thompson, Wm., Cabinet-maker.
Pomeroy, Dr. T., Physician. Tomkins, Edw., Tailor.
Reed, Joseph, Blacksmith. Warner, Sidney, General Merchant.
Upon my visit to Odessa in search of information I was fortunate
in securing as guides two old village boys, Messrs. Albert and Charles
Timmerman, who entered into the spirit of my mission and conducted
me down back alleys, and side streets and lanes, directing my atten-
tion here and there to points of interest, which awakened past mem-
ories when they were barefooted boys playing upon the banks of the
creek. We visited two octogenarians, Wesley Babcock and John Bab-
cock, and concluded our investigation with a call upon William Henzy,
who informed us that he had, upon the previous day, eaten his ninety-
second Christmas dinner. He came with his father and settled upon
lot thirty-seven in 1830 and has lived there ever since.
The place had no name at the time for the very good reason that
_ there was nothing upon which to bestow it. John Link lived in a newly
built log cabin down where the saw-mill now stands and had _ just
raised the frame of the grist-mill which is still standing, but has since
been enlarged by having some twelve feet added to the eastern end.
After the mill was completed the locality was known as Mill Creek, a
name which it retained until 1855, when Parker S. Timmerman, who
was following closely the progress of the Crimean War, renamed it
Odessa to commemorate the successful investment of that city by the
British fleet in 1854. ,
The next house to make its appearance in the neighbourhood was
built by John Snider just west of the drill shed site. John Aylesworth
settled about the same time a short distance west of Snider. Next in
176 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
there was no bridge over the creek, but the road, such as it was, crossed
the stream up above the rapids.
John Blake was the first keeper of the Comber inn, which was
locally known as the Red Tavern, but afterwards was decorated with an
imposing sign upon which was painted in bold letters: “The Lambton
Tavern.” “Talk about taverns,” said the old gentleman, “if it’s taverns
you want I'll give you lots of them! Why there were five in a row
right over there,” and he pointed towards the rear of the lot. “There
was lots of whiskey then and good whiskey too. The stuff you get now
is pizen.” He then enumerated the five taverns on the old road that
crossed at the rapids, each within gun-shot of the next one. He could
not restrain his laughter when he told about the little shack kept by
Stephen Redden among the bushes on the bank of the creek, near where
the bridge now stands. Stephen mended shoes, when he felt disposed
to do anything, but always kept a keg of whiskey in the corner of the
shanty, and was ever ready to exchange a mug of the precious liquor for
a sucker, One evening, while he was frying a fish in a pan over the
coals, Pete Clark, a pal of Henzy’s climbed upon the roof, thrust a
spear through a hole which served as a chimney, and thus relieved Steve
of his sucker. This operation was repeated several times, to the great
amusement of the neighbourhood, before Redden was able to account
for the mysterious disappearance of his half-cooked supper. The old
gentleman grew quite enthusiastic in describing the nightly revelries
over at Skibereen. This was an Irish settlement in the vicinity of the
Woollen Mills, where seventy years ago, there were some dozen or
fifteen shanties inhabited by a boisterous lot of emigrants from the
Emerald Isle. They gained an unenviable reputation for drinking and
fighting, which was partly redeemed when Mr. John Booth took up his —
residence among them and within the bacchanalian precincts built a
respectable dwelling, thereafter known as Skibereen Castle, and now
owned by Mr. B. G. Ham.
John Link continued for a time to run the mills, and built the first
house, in what is now the heart of the village, just opposite the grist-
mill, upon the site now occupied by the handsome cottage of Mr. B.
Toomey. He thought he saw an opportunity to better himself by
exchanging his Mill Creek property for a water-power owned by Ben-
jamin Booth about four miles down stream. The trade was finally con-
summated, but not until both parties had worn themselves out in a law-
suit over the terms of the exchange. Link took over ag peeks acai d
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 177
of a century the family was closely identified with the manufacturing
industries of the village. In every public movement they were to be
found on the side of progress and advancement. Every church in the
village is built upon land donated by them. The last link in this long
family chain binding the Booths to the business interests of Odessa was
severed a few months ago when B. A. Booth sold out his woollen-mills
and removed to Gananoque. {
The first school-house in the village was built seventy-five years ago
upon the ground now occupied by the drill shed. Wm. Henzy went to
school there to Wm. Carleton, whom he has not yet quite forgiven for
attempting to punish him for an offence which he did not commit. The
teacher used to make the ink for the neighbourhood and kept a large
jug of it in the school-house. In a scuffle during the noon hour the ink
was upset and spilled upon the floor, and some one informed the teacher
that Henzy was the guilty individual. Carleton came back to the school-
house in a fury and summoned Henzy to the front. Up he went, de-
clared his innocence, and called his accuser’s attention to the fact that
his left arm was broken and in a sling at the time, and that he was not
likely to be engaged in any scuffling. The teacher produced his tawse
and ordered him to hold out his hand. The pupil at the time weighed
180 pounds and was not disposed to be bullied too far. He released
the fractured arm from the sling and extended it towards the tawse, at
the same time clenching his right fist and drawing back his arm in a
position ready to deliver a blow if the teacher attempted to inflict the
threatened punishment. Carleton took in the situation and, believing
discretion to be the better part of valour, directed the pupil to take his
seat. All the schooling Henzy received was one month’s tuition under
this teacher.
John Babcock, now in his eighty-ninth year, took a keen delight in
telling about the pranks the boys played in the old red school-house
seventy years ago, and indulged in a hearty chuckle as he explained in
detail how a flock of geese welcomed the old teacher Kineberry as he
unlocked the door one morning. This notorious old pedagogue used
to pay too frequent visits to the numerous taverns in the neighbourhood;
and it was while he was recovering from one of his periodic “sprees”
that Frank Mancur installed the feathered class.
The old school-house did service as such until 1860, when a brick
one was built upon the present school lot. In 1885 it was replaced by
the well-equipped two-story building which still ranks among the best
pte ath One of the teachers who i is still remembered by the old
178 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
army. He had served as trumpeter in his time, and organized the first
Odessa band. While upon active service a bullet had grazed an upper
eye-lid which in healing left a tiny aperture, but quite large enough to
serve as a peep-hole, through which he could spy out the mischievous
boys, who never felt secure from detection, when to all appearances the
teacher was asleep.
A change came over the village upon the completion of ‘the maca-
damized road. Before that time there was very little business carried
on outside of the mills. Now and then a small store would be opened
up; but the stock was small and the customers few. Bath had good
stores and commanded the best of the trade from nearly all parts of the
township. By means of the new road goods could be easily transported
by the merchants from Kingston or Napanee; and the farmers in the
neighbourhood found it to their advantage to deal in their own village
where credit could be easily obtained, and there was a considerable sav-
ing in the matter of tolls. The first tradesman of any consequence was
Parker S. Timmerman, who opened up a general store on the north
side of Main Street one block from the bridge. He was the first regular
postmaster and entered upon his duties as such in 1840, although his
commission was not issued until 1841. Before his appointment Timothy
Fraser had been in charge of the mail for a short time. Mr. Timmer-
man continued in office until his death in 1897, thus establishing a record
for long service in Canada. ‘The office is now in charge of his son, John
A. Timmerman. In 1859 he built the stone building on the south side of
the street, and to it removed his store and the post-office; and there the
office has remained ever since, except for a short period.
In the old coaching days, when a load of mail, under the protection
of two armed guards, was hauled day and night over the new highway,
it arrived at Mill Creek about four o’clock in the morning. By the
dim light of a tallow candle the contents of the bags would be emptied
upon the floor, and the postmaster and his assistants would sort out all
that was intended for his office, and re-deposit the remainder in the
bags, together with such outgoing mail as had accumulated since the
last load passed through. The guards superintended this process and,
as soon as it was concluded and the mail again placed upon the vehicle,
they mounted up behind, the driver took his place at the reins and, with
a crack of his whip, the horses dashed away towards the next stopping
place, where the operation was repeated. To Mr. Timmerman this
method of distributing the mail. appeared to call for a great deal of —
unnecessary work, as each postmaster between Kingston and Toronto—
was obliged to handle all the matter destined for those offices which hi
rr a a ee
ge a cooper, who prepared his own coffin and headstone and kept
_ ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 179
not yet been reached by the carrier. “Why not,” he asked himself, “have
a small separate bag for each distributing point along the line, and avoid
the superfluous work of handling a large quantity of mail matter intended
’ for other offices?” He communicated his idea to the inspector at King-
ston, who approved the suggestion; and in a few months the small bags
were provided, and the plan of the Mill Creek postmaster was put into
operation.
Asa H. Hough was a contemporary of Mr. Timmerman but engaged
in many more lines. He began with a foundry for the manufacture of
ploughs, to which was afterwards added a blacksmith shop, then a gen-
eral store, and finally a bakery. For many years these two men controlled
the trade of the village.
The following is a list of the principal tradesmen and manufacturers
who for the past seventy years have solicited the patronage and, so far
as they were permitted to do so, supplied the wants of the village and
surrounding country:
Carriage Makers: John Babcock, Benjamin Maybee, A. Leonard,
Andrew Wycott, Watts & Jones, Stewart Babcock, Billings Hartman,
and Robert H. Baker.
General Stores: Asa H. Hough, Parker S. Timmerman, Benjamin
Clark, Marcus M. Parrott, Donald B. Booth, Wm. H. G. Savage, Francis
Wycott, Alex. McDonald, Lewis Allen, James McKeown, N. F. Snider,
Charles Albert Walker, Anderson Venton, Sidney J. Walker, Solomon
Camp, S. D. Clark, James Day, Byron Derbyshire, John Shields, P. A.
Maybee, Noble & Sherman Band, Francis Mancur, Mrs. M. E. Breden,
Mrs. Jane Woodruff, and Mrs. Peter Graham.
Tanneries: Alex. Gordon and William Gordon.
Marble Cutters: Calvin Beatty and W. R. & G. Moore.
Cloth Factories: Joshua Booth, Michael Asselstine, and B. A. Booth.
Sash and Blind Factory: Anson Storms.
Saw-mills: John K. Booth, Richard Smith.
Cabinet-Makers: L. Dow, Thos. G. Darley, and Franklin Hibbard.
Pump Manufacturers: Stephen Moore and Abner Silver.
Saddlers and Harness Makers: Henry Fox, Reuben Graves, King
7 James Strong, and Nicholas Baker.
Perhaps the most eccentric business man of the place was Daniel
m stored in a loft over his workship for twenty years before he
nam quired them.
180 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
bridge and connected the two sections of the new road. The old taverns —
on the back street closed their doors, but plenty of new ones sprang up,
so that in a short time no less than seven were in operation in what
might be termed the new village, for, until the building of the road,
nearly all of the business was transacted on the west side of the creek.
To provide against any possible shortage in the supply of intoxicants, a —
wholesale liquor store was also opened. The advocates of temperance
may well rejoice at the progress they have made, when they consider _
that seventy years ago there were over twenty-five bar-rooms in the
township of Ernesttown, including Bath.
The two public-houses that have survived the temperance legisla-
tion were both built about fifty-five years ago. The brick one was first
opened by Johnston Walker, who moved into it from the old Red
Tavern. He was succeeded by his widow, who sold out to Joseph
Sproule. The frame hotel opposite the post-office was first kept by
Robert Wycott and passed from him into the hands of James Watts,
then to John McKay, and finally to Joseph Sproule, whose son still con-
ducts a temperance house in the stand where his father te the
reputation of setting the best table in the county.
As we enter the village from the west the first building to attract
our attention is the drill shed standing just inside the twelfth milestone
marking the distance from Napanee. It was built in 1870 to provide a
home for Colonel Anson Lee’s volunteer company. The old frame build- —
ing opposite was the dwelling-house and surgery of Dr. Clare. Behind
it stood the first Methodist Episcopal church in the village, an old frame
building which was torn down in 1870, when a new stone one was built
on the south side of Main Street. When the Methodist churches united
it was sold to the Church of England.
The first Wesleyan Methodist Church was built about seventy years
ago. It was a frame building and was in time replaced by the brick one
built upon the same site. Two years ago that was burned; but the con-
gregation promptly responded to the call for help and erected the sub-
stantial edifice in which they now meet for worship. Upon the lot now
occupied by the Roman Catholics there formerly stood among the tombs —
of its builders a frame church built in 1837. In 1898 the old build
‘was’ torn down, the cemetery was removed, and the present church —
erected. a
Like most of the other villages of the frontier townships Odessa as.
a business centre appears to have seen its best days. It entered | a
its era of greatest prosperity with the building of the York Road;
the building of the Grand Trunk Railway marked the beginning
wy
ERNESTTOWN AND BATH 181
_ slow but sure decline. Some optimists argue that the decline has not
yet set in and that the village was never more prosperous than it is to-
day. In support of this contention we are confronted with the argument
that to-day there are more comfortable homes, more gentlemen of
leisure, and more money in the bank than there were sixty years ago.
These are not necessarily evidences of general prosperity, but are more
frequently associated with stagnation.
By the early forties all the land in the township was taken up and
every one was busy in clearing it and, where practicable, converting the
timber into lumber. The farmers’ wants were simple and the village
stores, mills, and factories were able to supply them all. The railway
brought them in closer touch with the cities and towns of the other parts
of the province and greatly reduced the cost of transporting heavy wares
and merchandise. As the woods disappeared the saw-mills found less
to do.
The greatest change has been in the last thirty years. The farmer
receives more money from the cheese factory than from any other
source, and this is done without leaving home. The milk is taken from
the platform on the roadside and his cheque is delivered at his door.
The rural postman brings him the catalogues from the large depart-
mental stores, from which he fills out his order, and a few days later
his purchases arrive by express or parcel post. A clever innovation has
been lately introduced, whereby he ships his produce, generally cream,
to the city store, and the temptation to expend a portion of the amount
standing to his credit upon the attractive bargains offered him is too
Strong to be resisted. The large factories have crowded the small ones
out of business and, where a few years ago several workmen were
engaged in manufacturing carriages, sleighs, and farm implements, we
now have an agency of one of the larger concerns. It may be that the
goods thus obtained are better and cheaper, but it is at the expense of the
small country village; and Odessa, like the rest of them, has been
obliged to accept the inevitable with the best grace it could.
=, —_
182 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER IX
FREDERICKSBURGH
pe
ee ey ee
The township of Fredericksburgh was named after Frederick, Duke
of Sussex, the ninth child of King George III and, being the third town-
ship laid out on the water-front, was for years known as Third Town.
The first general survey was completed in November 12th, 1783; but,
like the other townships along the bay, the lots were not marked and
numbered until the following year. The surveyors endeavoured to have
the lots run at right angles to the shore line, with the result that the
eastern boundary of Fredericksburgh formed an acute angle with the
western boundary of Ernesttown with the apex at the front on the bay
shore, thereby producing a gore between the two townships, which was
annexed to Fredericksburgh. The original township, still designated in
the Registry Office as Fredericksburgh Original, was twenty-five lots in
width numbered from the west, but being found insufficient to accom-
modate all of Colonel Rogers’ corps who, to the number of 299, had
been promised a settlement by themselves, twelve lots were taken from
the western side of Adolphustown, which lots are still designated in the
Registry Office as Fredericksburgh Additional. In the centre of the
_ township on the water-front there were laid out a number of village lots,
marked on the plan as the village of Fredericksburgh; but the expected
village has not yet materialized.
The hurried manner in which the survey of the township was con-
ducted has given rise to a good deal of confusion and has more than
once been the subject of legislation. Finally, in 1826, confusion was
worse confounded by the passing of an Act whereby the justices of the —
peace in the township were authorized to re-survey any concession or ©
number of lots and to cause monuments to be erected to establish the
true boundaries. One has but to glance at a modern map, especially of
North Fredericksburgh, to see what a bewildering chaos was made ¢ 01 of
the concession lines; and the conveyancer has to be constantly upon his
guard when attempting to define the metes and bounds of certain *
of land which fell under the operation of this Act. G j
The original settlers of the township belonged to the same ty:
the Boncers of the Second and Fourth Towns; and y
tay Aira ee
meet aie Olhausen
MEY etal aby
Er Maer Were ores
jeied Accs Skt Wl ads, Sack Av al lk LA PO Le oa ce
FREDERICKSBURGH ; 183
experiences of our forefathers in the two latter townships is equally
applicable to those of Fredericksburgh. There was no rallying point
within its bounds, such as Bath in Second Town and Adolphustown vil-
lage in the Fourth, and unfortunately the minutes of its town meetings
have not been preserved, or if preserved have not yet been located.
Strictly speaking the history of Clarkville should be embodied in the
comments upon Fredericksburgh ; but I have found it more convenient to
group it ‘with Napanee, of which municipality it now forms a part.
In the early settlement of this township there were a number of
adherents of the Lutheran Church who organized themselves into a
regular congregation about the same time that the Methodists and Angli-
cans began building churches for their respective followers. For ten
years or thereabouts they held services in the houses of the prominent
members; and about the year 1803 the first church, known as St.
Ebenezer, was erected in the vicinity of Close’s Mill on Big Creek. This
name is still preserved as a Christian name in some of the families who,
at that time, were enrolled among its members. The Fretz, Smiths,
Fralicks, Sickers, Alkenbracks, and Bristols appear to have been among
the most influential families who, for forty or fifty years, endeavoured
to maintain in their new home the church of their forefathers, but were
singularly unfortunate in having as their first clergymen men who were
addicted to the intemperate use of intoxicants, a habit which was far
more prevalent among all classes one hundred years ago than it is to-day.
It is reported that one of these shepherds of the Lutheran flock died
from injuries received from a fall while under the influence of liquor.
Such a circumstance could not fail to produce a disastrous effect upon
the congregation, especially at a time when the Methodists in the same
and neighbouring townships were organizing temperance societies and
using every effort to wipe out the evil of strong drink. ;
Although the congregation was a small one and, even with the aid
received from other parts of the county, could not afford to maintain a
pastor in as comfortable circumstances as the other denominations, they
clung together until the middle of the nineteenth century. One by one
the families drifted away to the Methodists, until but a faithful few
remained under the pastorate of the last minister, the Rev. Mr. Plato
who, unable any longer to stem the tide, followed the example of his
_ parishioners and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church himself, and
od a years was a much respected itinerant preacher of that faith in
Eastern Ontario.
_ The Lutheran Church in this county, while appearing ” niga: been
din Fredericksburgh, had appointments also in Ernesttown,
their absorption by the Methodists an easy matter, and many of the
*
184 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Camden, and Richmond, making up one circuit, all in charge of the same
minister. For many years the parsonage was on the York Road on the
farm owned by Mr. Edward Kaylor. The Ernesttown congregation
was a weak one, and joined with the Methodists and Presbyterians in
the use of the same church, built on the old Amey farm on lot sixteen
in the second concession. ‘The joint use of this meeting-house rendered
members of the latter body now worshipping in this same, old church on
the Odessa circuit will find upon an examination of the records that
their forefathers were baptized, married, and buried by a Lutheran
clergyman.
“There was a small class near Switzerville, but no regular .meeting-
house; and the members soon joined hands with their neighbours the
Methodists shortly after the building of the Switzer Chapel, which, so
far as can be ascertained, must have been erected shortly prior to 1822.
There were Lutheran classes also at Camden East.
“Upon the farm of John Bower, at the site of the present village of
Strathcona, there was a stone Lutheran church which was torn down
some years ago and the present Methodist church erected in its place.
There were a number of Lutherans scattered along the river front in
the township of Richmond, prominent among them being the Kimmerlys,
Browns, Olivers, Bowens, and Sagars. In 1828 David Kimmerly offered
to donate the land upon which to build a church, and a meeting was
called to consider the proposition; but the church was never built. All
the Lutheran congregations dispersed with the breaking up of the parent
body in Fredericksburgh and, so far as this county is concerned, the
Lutherans as a separate denomination ceased to exist about the year
1850.
“The following reminiscences of Mr. Peter Bristol of Napanee, now
in his ninety-third year, but who still styles himself a Fredericksburgh
boy, were furnished by him to the writer in an interview:
“T was born on lot twenty-three in the Second Concession of Fred-
ericksburgh on December 27th, A.D. 1820. ‘I remember distinctly the
incidents of my boyhood days, even the funeral of my grandmother,
which occurred in my third year. She was a dear old lady, and the
ceremony took place at my grandfather’s house, to which a number of
planks had been brought to form seats to accommodate the neighbours. —
I was crawling about the floor, childlike, under one of these benches, 4
when one of the assembled friends stepped upon my fingers, at which I
howled lustily and disturbed the solemnity of the ceremony. The corpse —
*
<,
©
c+
ei.
A)
,
FREDERICKSBURGH 185
the funeral was in progress, the coffin, which was being made by a car-
penter in the door-yard outside, was not yet ready for the remains.
There was no elaborate expense in connection with the burial of the
b
: dead,—a plain pine box, unpainted and uncovered, was considered all
-] that was necessary. She was buried at the old Lutheran church at Big
Creek.
“My father lived in a log house of one room until I was ten years of
___— age. ~It was two stories, and in order to reach the upper story we
mounted a ladder in a corner of the lower part of the dwelling. The
furniture was of the simplest character, and little of it. My father was
considered an average prosperous farmer, fully up to the times, and had
one hundred acres of land, of which only five acres were cleared at my
earliest remembrance; yet he managed to raise and educate, so far as
there was opportunity, a family of thirteen of which I was the second.
He had one horse and but one yoke of oxen up to the time he built a
small frame house when I was ten years old. There were wild animals
about at the time; and when I used to go to bring the cows home to be
_ milked I have seen as many as five deer at a time. Wolves were very
common, and we had to gather our sheep in every night and shut them
in a closed pen to protect them from the marauding intruders.
“My first school days were spent under the care of Miss Margaret
_ Perry, who afterwards married David Williams of Ernesttown. The
_ school-house stood just over the town line in Ernesttown, on the farnr
5; ; of Davis Hawley, grandfather of Sheriff G. D. Hawley. It was a small
f
:
Gey
frame building about a mile from my father’s house, with very few
pupils in attendance, among them being the sisters of the late Zina Ham.
I had no books except a spelling book, and the only subject to which I
devoted myself the first summer was the mastering of the alphabet.
" “A few years after this an Irishman called Paul Shirley, came to the
neighbourhood and offered his services as teacher for the winter in a
log school-house situated in the front of the third concession of Fred-
ericksburgh, near or upon the land of Jacob Detlor. My father, John
_ Ham, Jacob Detlor, and Henry Ham took the matter in hand, and made
a bargain with Shirley, and I went to that school that fall and winter.
_ I walked through the bush about a mile and a quarter with my sister to
school, stopping on the way to pick up the Ham children who accompan-
ied us through the woods over two streams which in the autumn we
_ crossed on fallen timbers. I then took up the study of geography and
grammar. I also attended school on the farm of the father of the late
ff Pruyn and had to travel two miles and a half. This was the last
ded in this county. The reason I was shifted about from one
\
186 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
school to another was that the district was not divided into sections,
and the schools were not kept open with any regularity, and my father —
would send me wherever he thought I could receive the best training.
“My people were Methodists, and attended service first in one —
school-house and then another, whichever was most convenient. Most
of our clergymen were local preachers, farmers who went out on the
Sabbath day and conducted divine service. I remember seeing in the
pulpit, or rather behind the teacher’s desk in the school-house, the fol-
lowing gentlemen expounding the gospel: Rufus Shorey, Davis Hawley,
John Ham, and George Sills. The service consisted of singing, con-
ducted by two or three old men and women, prayer, generally a very
long one, and an exhortation without selecting any text from which to
speak. The first regular preacher I ever heard was when Elder William
Case came to our neighbourhood.
“The crops consisted of wheat and corn principally; I was twenty
years old before I saw any barley or knew what it was. Every farmer
made maple sugar, raised his own potatoes, wheat, pork, poultry, beef,
and mutton, but pork was the chief article of diet in the way of flesh.
I have known my father to pack at one time three large barrels of pork
for the family use. Tea was a luxury and cost one dollar to one dollar
and a half per pound.
“The clothing was made principally of linen for summer, and full-_
cloth and flannel for the winter, all of which were woven at home. We
grew our own flax, and after pulling, (it was never cut), we spread it
out on the sod, turned it over weekly with a wooden fork, and when
sufficiently rotten it was dried and gathered up and bound into bundles,
and was next put through a process called crackling. This consisted in
putting it through a machine which broke it up so that the fibres were
loosened and could be separated into strings. It was then drawn over a
board with hundreds of nails projecting two or more inches through it —
so that it presented a surface of small spikes; and by drawing the flax _
over it the nails acted as a comb and removed the woody substance from —
the fibres. The fibres were then spun into thread by the women, and —
wound into balls as large as a man’s head. After this it was leached by —
immersing the balls in a weak solution of lye, and put in the loom for —
weaving. Two thirds of the children’s clothing, both boys and girls,
consisted of this gray linen, which was not dyed but retained its ne
colour.
FREDERICKSBURGH 187
who had married my mother’s sister and lived on what is now known as
the Daly farm on the Deseronto Road. We crossed the river on a float-
; ing bridge near where the new iron bridge now stands. Roblin’s Hill
: was then very rough and steep. There were a number of dwellings at
Clarkville at that time; but the village on the north side of the river all
lay east of the present John Street, except a few scattered houses on
the knolls in the western part of the present site of the town. The old
McNeil house then stood where its ruins stand to-day and was the finest
residence I had ever seen. In coming from my father’s house to
Napanee we passed two or three frame houses; all the rest were built
of logs. Where the Campbell house now stands there was a small grove
Ltiealiatel a? ee Eee *t Fy
of second growth pine and other scrub trees. As I grew older I used
. i to accompany my parents upon this trip about once a year.
f “We did not deal in the stores at Napanee when I was a boy, as
| there was no market, and there was one in Kingston ; and my father took
his produce either to Kingston or to Bath, which latter place we con-
sidered the business centre of the county. Henry Lasher conducted what
was called a farmers’ store in Bath. It was managed by him for the
farmers, who formed themselves into an organization and saved for
themselves the profits which usually went to the middleman; but Lasher
bought them all out one after another. Later on the Davys grew up
1 there, Peter and Benjamin, and became influential men, and monopolized
the business, but not until Lasher had made a fortune.
“As time passed on we got more in touch with Napanee; but did
not visit it often or trade much there until it became the county town
and I had grown into manhood and was shifting for myself. My old
friend Henry Forward was one of the principal merchants, and con-
ducted a general store on the south side of Dundas Street just east of
the Harshaw Block. Old Dan Pringle, as everybody called him, kept
hotel on the corner where Smith’s jewellery store is, and that was head-
quarters for the farmers from our neighbourhood; although the Brisco
House afterwards became the popular resort for the Ernesttown, Fred-
ericksburgh, and Adolphustown people. When I first became at all
familiar with Napanee or, as it was very commonly called, The Appanee,
Clarkville was of much more importance relatively than it is to-day,
and the greater part of the village was on that side of the river.
«~The first brick building I ever saw was the little house east of
__ Madden’s store on Dundas Street; and so far as I know it was the first
one built in Napanee. |
“TI remember the first election I ever witnessed. It was over seven-
ty-five years ago, about the year 1836. John Solomon Cartwright and
so, f P
aut "
——
so
oe <~
SO a a OSS ee
188 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
George H. Detlor, the Tory candidates, were running against Peter
Perry and Marshall Spring Bidwell. They ran in pairs; Perry and |
Bidwell were called the rebels by the other side. There was only one
polling-place in the county and that was at Bath. It was a little booth
on the edge of the village. I was quite a young man at the time and
didn’t know much about the issues; but I could understand that the
people were greatly excited. The taverns of Bath were crowded with
men wrangling about the votes. Whisky was flowing freely, and there
were plenty of drunken men and brawls in the streets. There were lots
of taverns all over the country. There was Charter’s tavern near the
head of Hay Bay, John Davy’s over near Sandhurst, and Griffiths in
the second concession about four miles west of Chaiters: Ernesttown
must have had a dozen at least. . :
“There was quite an excitement in the county over the Mormon
missionaries who went about the different townships preaching and bap-
tizing the converts. Quite a number were baptized in Big Creek. Brig-
ham Young was here himself, and, if I remember aright, he preached
“at Bath. That must have been nearly eighty years ago. The headquar-
ters of the Mormons was not in Utah then, but somewhere in Ohio.
Joseph File and his family, John Detlor, Junior, and two Lloyds went
away with the missionaries to their ‘Promised Land’; but they all came
back but one of the Lee who died out there.”
= . a
.
AMHERST ISLAND 189
CHAPTER X
AMHERST ISLAND
If the writer were disposed to give a free rein to his imagination
what a tempting field for romance lies before him in the island town-
ship! In the first chapter I have pointed out how it formed a portion
of the seigniory of La Salle. No doubt he asked to have it included in
the grant of Fort Frontenac owing to its strategic position, commanding,
as it does, the entrance to the Bay of Quinte. That he attached some
importance to the insular part of his possessions is apparent from the
fact that he bestowed upon it the name of his faithful lieutenant Tonti.
Before that it was known by the Indian name Kaouenesgo. It is the
only portion of our county that was included in this the first patent of
land issued by the Crown in the Province of Ontario.
The next white owner of whom we have any record was Sir John
Johnson. Just how Sir John became the possessor is not known; but in
the absence of another account we cannot do better than relate the story
as it has been so often told. His father, Sir William, was held in high
esteem by the Mohawks, and one day as he was parading before them
in full regimentals, an old chief named Hendrick, who envied him his
gold braid and shining epaulets, accosted him most gravely and said:
“Sir William, me dream a dream last night.” The great white chieftain
asked him the nature of his dream, and he solemnly replied: “Me dream
Sir William that you made me present of your coat.” Sir William was
so amused by the ingenious method adopted by his friend to obtain a
gay uniform that he stripped off his tunic and handed it to the delighted
Chief. A few days later when he met him arrayed in the military uni-
form, he said: “Good-morning, Chief.” The old warrior saluted him in
true soldierly fashion; whereupon his white companion continued: “I
had a strange dream last night. I dreamed that you had given me that
island in the blue water over there,” referring to Amherst Island. The
tables were turned upon the red man, but, not to be outdone, he replied:
“Ho! Ho! Sir William! you dream big dream! I give you the island;
s we won’t dream any more.” In any event, about the time the Loyal-
sts were settling upon the mainland, Sir John Johnson was recognized
3 owner of this heavily timbered island across the bay. In due time
| ed by his daughter Maria Bowes, who, in 1835, sold it ei the
ae)
190 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Earl of Mount Cashel, and in 1857 it became the property of Major R.
P. Maxwell of County Down, Ireland.
Another story is told of the remarkable manner in which it once
changed hands; but in repeating it here there is no intention to associate
the transaction with any of the names here mentioned, if, indeed, the
occurrence ever took place. The story runs that a game of cards was
in progress at the home of a wealthy lady in Ireland; the stakes were
high, the lady was a steady loser, and in desperation put up her Can-
adian estate and lost it. The title deeds were made out in the name of
the winner, who thus became the owner of Amherst Island.
Major Maxwell’s brother managed the estate until 1871, since
which date Mr. W. H. Moutray has been the resident agent. About
two thirds of it is at present owned by resident farmers; the remainder,
about 5,000 acres, being held under lease from Mr. Henry Percival-
Maxwell the owner.
At the time the settlers began to take up the land it was densely
wooded with oak, ash, hickory, maple, beech, and elm, and a few clumps
of pine, cedar, and spruce. The pioneers were U. E. Loyalists, who
crossed over from the main shore, principally from Ernesttown, and
purchased farms on the east end, or head of the island, as it is called.
Among the first to settle were the Howards, Wemps, Richards, McGin-
nesses, McDonalds, McMullens, Hitchins, Instants, and McKentys. The
first transfer of title to an actual settler of which we have any record
took place in 1803.
Soon after this emigrants from Ireland began to settle on the west-
ern end, among them being the Pattersons, Prestons, Gibsons, Girvins,
Cochranes, Cousins, Kerrs, Allens, Spiers, Polleys, McQuoids, Glens,
Burleighs, and Saunders. They had very little, if any, capital; but
what was more to the purpose they brought with them strong sound
bodies, good moral characters, habits of thrift and industry, loyalty to
the British Empire, and a reverence for things sacred. These sterling
qualities have been transmitted to their descendants, than whom there
are no better citizens in Ontario to-day.
By a proclamation of Governor Simcoe bearing date July 16th,
1792, the province was divided into counties for the purpose of parlia-
mentary representation. Among the nineteen original counties was the —
county of Ontario composed of “Isle Tonti” or Amherst Island; “Isle —
au Foret,” now Simcoe Island, Grand or Wolfe Island, and “Isle | |
chois” or Howe Island. In 1798, when a general rearrangement of
counties took place, the island county was broken up into its s
component parts, and the islands were attached to the mainland «
them. toa
eee ee " i —~N es ee Ve
AMHERST ISLAND 191
By this new subdivision Amherst Island became and has ever since
remained a part of the county of Lennox and Addington; but the attach-
ment has at no time been very strong. Its insular position accounts in
~~ some measure for the lack of interest shown by the inhabitants towards
. the other parts of the county. There have been no town lines to quarrel
r over, no drainage system extending into a neighbouring municipality, and
no union schools maintained in part by another township. Several miles
of deep blue water separate them from the mainland and they are just
as near to Prince Edward or Frontenac as to the remainder of the county
of which they form a part. The daily boats, during the season of navi-
gation, are timed with a view of carrying the passengers from the island
to Kingston and returning them to their homes the same day, while there
is no communication between the island and Napanee.
It is quite natural that the inhabitants should follow that course
offering the least resistance and should do their marketing and trading in
sa Kingston instead of Napanee. Had they been consulted at the time of
the separation of the counties they would have been attached to Fron-
tenac. In fact they presented a petition to the government praying that
; this be done. It was a reasonable request and one that in all fairness
might have been granted, as it is far more convenient for them to have
their legal and municipal centre in the city where they transact nearly
all of their other business. They have become reconciled to the present
_____ awkward arrangement, and so long as they make no complaint the rest
_____ of the county will be very glad to maintain the alliance which has given
; to our county council some of the best men who have sat in that body.
3 It is a regrettable fact that there is so little communication between
the islanders and the citizens of the mainland; but there appears to be no
remedy in sight at the present time. If the Grand Trunk Railway had
___ touched at Bath, as was the original intention, it might have been other-
wise. As has been remarked in the chapter upon Adolphustown there is
an individuality about the islanders that distinguishes them from the
people of all other parts of the county. It is difficult to define this
_ characteristic; but there is a whole-souled honest frankness that draws
_ one to them and creates a desire to know them better. Perhaps it is
the Irish blood.
, The first religious services upon the island were conducted by that
worthy pioneer missionary of the Anglican Church, the Rev. John Lang-
horn, who was succeeded by the Rev. W. Agar Adamson, Chaplain to
Majesty’s forces at Kingston and also Chaplain to the Legislative
ned mel
192 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The old frame church, which stood on a commanding site a mile
west of Stella village, together with a glebe of one hundred acres, was
a gift to the congregation by Lord Mount Cashel. It was built about
1836. The Rev. John Rothwell of Ireland was incumbent from 1845
to 1865. He was followed by the Rev. Mr. Smart, who continued as
rector until 1869, when the Rev. Conway E. Cartwright, M.A., T. C. D.,
took over the charge, and so ingratiated himself with his parishioners and
those of all denominations that his removal in 1874 was deeply regretted
by all who knew him,
The Réy. J. J. Christie, a native of Scotland, officiated from 1875
until 1877, when the Rev. Canon Roberts, Mus. B., was appointed rector
and ministered to the parish until 1891. He devoted himself faithfully’
to his parochial work; and during his term the present St. Alban’s
Church was built upon the bay shore. From 1891 to 1896 the Rev.
Sterne Tighe M.A., T. C. D., was the resident clergyman, and upon his
resignation his place was filled by students and others until the appoint-
ment of the Rev. R. S$. Wilkinson in 1903. A few years before the lat-
ter clergyman’s arrival the rectory had been burned; and it was during
his incumbency, which terminated in 1906, that the present one was built.
The Rev. J. E. Lindsay, B.A., B.D., was rector from 1906 to 1909, when.
the Rev. J. E. Dixon was inducted, and has continued up to the present
to minister to the spiritual wants oF some sixty families, adherents of
the Church of England.
As might be expected a large number of the inhabitants are Presby-
terians; but no regular services for those of that faith were conducted
_upon the island until 1849. Were it not for this neglect to supply them
with a regular minister no doubt the adherents of this church would be
more numerous than they are to-day. Although they were almost over-
looked for more than a generation there are still some fifty-five families
supporting the church that most naturally appeals to the descendants of
the north of Ireland Protestants. |
> The Rev. Mr. McLeise, an Ulster missionary, cared for the fold of
his countrymen for a short time, holding the services during fair weather
in the open air where Glenwood Cemetery is now.. A member of his
congregation thus writes of those services: “From this primitive place —
of worship, beneath the spreading branches of the trees, with the area
grass for a seat and the firmament for a covering, there ascended as
fervent prayers and praise as from the most stylish cathedral.” (
March 6th, 1852, the congregation was for the first time duly organi
with the Rey. Daniel McCurdy, uncle of Professor McCurdy of
University, as minister, and James Strain, William Patterson, é
ah) Noe
=,
nh, Oe eee ere eae ae
‘yZ8L NI JANVdVN
trom tt
“ea1uols
vey pees
Se aANYVAYUN
“wiley
WOYNYS " OlaWviNnO
AMHERST ISLAND 193
Girvin as ruling elders. No less than seventy-four members were en-
rolled upon the first list of communicants. A substantial frame build-
ing was soon erected near the road upon the lot where the church now
stands. Mr. McCurdy remained but a short time and demitted his
charge in 1853.
After a vacancy of two years the Rev. James McIntosh was in-
ducted, and for twenty years remained the esteemed and faithful minis-
ter of a devoted and appreciative congregation, who to this day love to
recall the good results of his ministrations. He died in 1875, and over
his grave in Pentland Cemetery a suitable monument was erected by his
loving friends, among whom he had laboured until death summoned him
to his reward. The Rev. Howard Steele assumed the charge in 1876,
and was followed by the Rev. Alex. MacLennan who died in 1880.
In the month of February, 1881, the present incumbent, the Rev.
James Cumberland, M.A., was inducted, and has the distinction of hav-
ing served his congregation longer than any other clergyman in the
county, and the esteem in which he is held, not only by the adherents of
* his own church, but by all denominations upon the island, speaks vol-
umes for his ability as a minister, a kind-hearted gentleman, and a pub-
lic-spirited citizen. As soon as he was fairly settled among his parish-
ioners he looked about for the means of providing a more suitable place
of worship. A site was donated by Mr. William Allen, and under the
management of Elders William McMaster, William Fleming, and Henry
Filson, all of whom have since passed away, the present church was
commenced in 1883 and completed in 1884 at a cost of $8,000. Robert
Kilpatrick, Alexander McKee, David Reid, Wm. McQuain, Robert Fil-
son, and Robert Patterson were also active members of the building com-
mittee. Near by stands the manse built fifty years ago upon a site don-
ated by Major Maxwell. Mr. Cumberland has taken a deep interest in
the early history of the island, and to him I am indebted for the greater
part of the material upon which this chapter is based.
In no part of the county, unless it be at Erinsville, have the Method-
ists such a smal] percentage of the population as on Amherst Island.
Eight or ten families, at the most, profess adherence to that body; but
what they lack in numbers is fully compensated for by the zeal displayed
_in loyalty to their church. Prior to 1874 they worshipped in the Orange
Hall at Stella; but in that year, through the efforts of the Rev. Mr.
Ferguson, backed up by his small but enthusiastic congregation, the pre-
: ent church was erected, and the neat little parsonage was soon added,
provide a home for the resident clergyman. Among the reverend
ent emen who have from time to time been stationed there, especial men-
°
he
oh rth
A a
p Vite re Tse pee
194 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
tion might be made of the Reverend Messrs. Pyke, Brown, White,
Orser, Lidstone, and Pearce, but none more distinguished than the pre-
sent scholarly pastor the Rev. G. Haughton Porter, M.A.,.S.T.D., author
of the Reality of the Divine Movement in Israel, which work has given
him a place among the theological writers of the day.
The earliest records we have of the island having ministrations by
the Roman Catholic clergy date beyond the middle of the last century,
when the Rev. Father McMahon came from Kingston and held ser-
vices at the homes of the members of his church. He was succeeded by
the Rev. Father Donoghue, during whose term his handful of follow-
ers, numbering about ten families, built in 1860 the church in which they
still meet for worship. The land upon which it was built was the gift
of the late John McCormack. He was followed by the Rev. Father
McWilliams who lived at Railton, but for over twenty years was the
regular priest of the parish. He took an active interest in all matters
affecting the welfare of the islanders and was one of the promoters of
the cable line connecting the island with the mainland.
The first schools upon the island were established about eighty years
ago. They were of that primitive type which have been fully described
in the chapter upon the early schools of the county. That satisfactory
results were attained in the old log school-houses has been attested by
the intelligence of the generation that has just passed away. The stan-
dard has steadily improved; and at the present time illiteracy among
the islanders is very exceptional. Among the teachers of the early days
Robert Burleigh, George Wright, John Robb, and Miss Moffat are still
remembered and frequently referred to as having done excellent service
in the education of the youths of the township. The island now has
five public schools and a continuation school, all of which are efficiently
maintained and are doing satisfactory work. Not content with the aid
given to their local schools the islanders have led the way in higher
education by a voluntary contribtion of $500 towards the endowment of
Queen’s University, in return for which that institution awards free tui-
tion to one student, to be nominated annually by the municipal council.
In the early days of the settlement the ordinary farm consisted of
fifty acres, upon which was built a log cabin near the shore. The —
greater part of the inhabitants were sailors, who followed their calling _
during the summer, and cut cord-wood and thus cleared the land dur-— E
ing the winter months. The greater portion of this wood found its way
to the Kingston markets; and large quantities were piled upon the
near the wharf to furnish fuel for the steamers plying pi fhe
Quinte. Peer ie
a il ng
1
— a ah Cate inet nsiant i il cg
ne — th «
AMHERST ISLAND 195
As the clearings enlarged and the population increased, they turned
their attention to tilling the land, and the rich soil generally yielded a
bountiful harvest. The main crop was barley, and that grown upon
the island held first place and commanded the highest price upon the
Oswego market. So great was the demand for this superior article that
for many years the farmers sowed little else, with the result that the
_ land was becoming exhausted. A hostile tariff against Canadian barley
destroyed that industry; and the farmers viewed with alarm the loss of
their market, and had visions of their broad acres lying idle and the
bailiff taking possession of their chattel property. Their worst fears
proved groundless, and the check to the rich harvest of barley, rich at
the expense of the soil devoted to its cultivation, proved a blessing in
disguise.
They turned their attention to dairying with most gratifying results.
There are two well-managed cheese factories upon the island, one at
Stella and another at Emerald, both possessing excellent shipping facil-
ities and turning out a good quality of cheese and butter that yield pro-
fitable returns to their patrons. Well-bred herds of milch cattle now
roam over the fields that were being rapidly impoverished by the barley,
the phantom of the bailiff has melted away, and the yeomen of the
island were never so happy and prosperous as at the present time. As
in other parts of the county, the development of the cheese industry
brought with it a remarkable improvement in the raising of pigs and, as
has been humorously remarked, the farmer has found it greatly to his
advantage to market his grain upon the hoof.
The shoals off the shores on both sides of the island are famous fish-
ing grounds, where salmon trout and white-fish abound in great num-
bers. Until a few years ago there was a small fleet of fishing smacks,
which might be seen putting off in the early morning to lift the nets,
returning later in the day laden with the choicest specimens of the finny
tribe that our great inland lakes can furnish. Now the more prosaic
: motor boats have crowded the picturesque sailing vessels off the waters.
_ There are few sportsmen on the bay, or either side of the eastern end
_ of Lake Ontario, who have not spent a pleasant day at “The Brothers,”
Os to tempt the black bass to take their bait or rise to the fly, and if
suff iciently skilled in the art of “The Compleat Angler” they can depend
uf n returning with well-filled baskets,
4 ~ About 1832 David Tait, a master shipwright from Scotland, landed
at the foot of the island. The best of oak and pine timber grew near
the “od in nice quantities ; and the enterprising Scot saw, no doubt,
196 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
first schooner, the David Tait, near the east end. After being success-
fully launched, a cable was attached to her bow and a score or more of
row-boats manned by twice as many sturdy fishermen towed her around
to the north shore, where she was fitted out and put into commission
for the grain and lumber trade. Mr. Tait built and repaired vessels at —
different places on the north shore until 1847, when he established a
shipyard near the upper end of Stella Bay, where he pursued his calling
for eleven years, during which time he employed a staff of sixty or
seventy men and built over fifty sailing vessels. They were of the
schooner type with centre-board. Only one was for a resident of the
island and that was the good ship The Bachelor, built for William
Scott, a general merchant at Stella.
The modern ship-builder would make little headway with the equip-
ment of the Tait shipyard. The oaks and pines, after being stripped of
their branches, were hauled to the shore by oxen, just as they fell from
the stumps. With adze and whip-saw his expert workmen hewed and
sawed them into shape and fitted them together. His terms of contract.
were simple and easily understood, one dollar for each bushel of capa-
city. By 1858 the timber suitable for ships was so depleted that the
yard was closed and the owner removed to Picton.
The islander who could not handle a boat would be very much out
of place, and there are few, if any, of the inhabitants who are not as
much at home upon the water as upon the land. Their forefathers from
the counties of Down and Antrim were well skilled in manipulating a
sail, and their own insular position has kept the succeeding generations
in practice, with the-result that the crews of the lake-going vessels are
yeatly recruited from the seafaring mariners from Amherst Island,
many of whom own and sail their own vessels, carrying coal, grain, and —
lumber to the bay and lake ports. ‘The training in endurance and the ~
handling of a boat is well illustrated by the experience of the late Sam-
"uel Glen, who seventy years ago, killed and dressed two pigs, took-them —
one and one-half miles to Stella, placed them in a skiff, rowed them to ©
Kingston a distance of ten miles, disposed of the carcasses, made his —
purchases, and rowed back again in one day. Many of the best known 7
mariners upon the lakes served their apprenticeship in the island fishing —
boats or took their first stand before the mast under such well known —
masters as Captains Thomas Polley, Nathaniel Allen, Hugh Glen, —
Joseph and Henry Saunders. Captain T. Saunders, who as a lad
his first lessons in navigation upon the waters washing the sho
Amherst Island, now commands the largest ship sailing upon the L
Lakes. ‘The picturesque sailing vessels of fifty years ago are |
pi a ar et I “ on -
' TF nh) Wi Sea iy |b eng)
iietandl
lee ee P
a a NL i it rd @& es,
dnibere & ‘ ya Agere! RS ta a7; 0, i sh, TR oe) Pree
m WANE
a
AMHERST ISLAND 197
crowded off our inland waters by the whalebacks and steam barges, and
the Jack Tar of the Great Lakes will soon be forgotten or remembered
only in song and story.
The following article was contributed to the Napanee Beaver three
years ago by the Rev. Mr. Cumberland of Stella:
: “There is a short chapter of Canadian History which you will not
find in any of the school histories. It may be classed with the Battle of
the Windmill at Prescott, as one of the closing scenes of the Mackenzie
Rebellion of 1837-8, although not so serious in its results.
“Having met with no better success on the Niagara frontier than at
Montgomery’s tavern, it seems that Mackenzie turned his steps eastward
and planned a night attack on Kingston over the frozen river in the win-
ter of 1838. For some reason the attack was not made, although the
| soldiers and citizens of the Limestone City were quite prepared to
receive him and any who might choose to accompany him.
“Two filibusters, Bill Johnston, a Canadian, and Van Rensselaer, an
American, did, however, get a large number of patriots’ collected at
Hickory Island, below Gananoque, but these nearly all dispersed when
they heard that the volunteer militia were ready to march against
them.
“Bill Johnston and a few kindred spirits, however, remained in their
hiding-places among the Thousand Islands, eluding the vigilance of the
authorities of the law, and living the lives of pirates and outlaws for a
time. They took possession of the steamer Sir Robert Peel, and after
robbing the passengers and plundering the ship, set fire to her.
“They also came in boats to the north shore of Amherst Island, and
in the dead hours of the night made an attack on the house of Mr. Pres-
ton. They placed guards at the entrance and then proceeded to attack
and plunder the inmates. Mrs. Preston managed, however, to elude
the guards and proceeded to give the alarm. Bill and his gang of ruffians
met with a warm reception from Mr. Preston and his brave sons, one
_ of whom was slightly wounded by a pistol shot. The pirates beat a
, hasty retreat when the alarm was given. This wanton attack naturally
4 alarmed the citizens of good Isle Tonti, as it was then called; for what
_ safety could they have in their homes with such a gang of lawless des-
- pe dos hovering about. A company of volunteers was soon enrolled,
armed, and placed under command of Captain John S. Cumming. A
stone house had just been built by William Gelson, on his farm, opposite
oy 2 Brothers’ (islands). Within its strong walls the company was sta-
ti ed for a time until a suitable barracks was built on the Patterson
m at a point in full view of the Lower Gaps. Here the men were
| '
ee eee
wi
\
198 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
‘quartered until peace was restored and they were disbanded, each man
being allowed to take his flint-lock home with him. In this age of long
range rifles the old flint-locks would be considered out of date. Yet in
the hands of these hardy pioneers they would no doubt have rendered
effective service. The great victory of Waterloo had been won twenty- :
three years before with exactly the same kind of weapons. But the
enemy, no doubt considering that ‘discretion is the better part of val-
our,’ kept away from our shores. |
“These men, who in troublesome times, stood ready to defend their
country and their homes, have all answered the last ‘roll call,’ but their
names and their memories will long be remembered with respect on
Amherst Island.
“The barracks in which they were quartered have long since disap-
peared, and the stone house above referred to, situated near the North
Shore on the farm since owned by Captain Henry Saunders, is now an
uninhabited ruin; sic tempora mutantur.”
The following is a list of names enrolled in the Amherst Island’
Volunteer Company, organized upon the occasion above referred to,
and fairly represents all of the pioneer families upon the island, at that
time:
John S. Cummings, Captain; William Dundas Hale, First Lieuten-
ant; John Hitchens, Second Lieutenant; Robert Burleigh, Pay-
master-Sergeant; James Preston, Sergeant; Hugh Spring, Sergeant;
Joseph Gonue, Henry Davy, Thomas Treleven, John Trelevan, Samuel
McMath, Hugh McMath, Thomas Cousins, Anthony Iverso, William
Cousins, James McMath, Thomas Woodside, William Patterson, Hugh
McMullen, Aeneas McMullen, William Craig, John Gibson, William Gib-
son, William Gelson, Archibald Hutton, James Annet, William Clark,
John McQuoid, James McQuoid, John Pentland, Hugh Patterson, David
H. Preston, Alexander Spiers, Hugh Higgins, James Castello, John Mc-
Clintoc, Edward Allen, William Irvine, Frances McMaster, Samuel
McWaters, Samuel Smith, John Tindall, John McKenty, John McCabe,
Thomas Murray, James Scott, Samuel Barry, Francis Cantell, John
Dusenbery, John Weller, Stephen Tugwell, James Finigan, Jacob Baker, 4
Philip Baker, Joseph Welsh, John McVeen, Samuel Glen, James Strain,
James McFadden, John Larck, Antoine Lavernia, Dennis Lavinac, —
- Andrew Finlay, William Kinsley, Joseph Boyd, James Brownlee, John —
Glidden, James Finnie, John Brookmire, Augustus Haighter, James 4
Hobbs. i ea
The mercantile business of the island has been in the hands of very
few men. Wm. Scott, Captain Polley, George Wright, and Tas
a cea is Ni ti il a a te
i ta
NI mera
}
AMHERST ISLAND _ 199
son have been general merchants at Stella, the last named having been
continuously in business for forty years. At Emerald Messrs. Fowler
& McGinness catered to the wants of that end of the island which is
now served by Mr. Reginald Instant.
The county has produced many good and great men, but none have
been held in higher esteem and veneration by his friends, neighbours,
and fellow citizens than the late Daniel Fowler, R.C.A. He was born
in county Kent, England, in 1810, the eldest son of a large family. He
was a school-fellow of the late Lord Beaconsfield,:and left school at
nineteen years of age. From his boyhood he showed a strong predilec-
tion for drawing, a taste that was not encouraged by his parents, who
intended him for the profession of the law. In due time he was articled
in Doctors’ Commons and entered upon a course of study for which he
had no liking.
‘After his father’s death he forsook the grave precincts of the law
courts to commence the study of art and entered the studio of J. D.
Harding, of whom Ruskin makes favourable mention. At the age of
twenty-four he went to the continent, and spent a year in Switzerland,
Italy, and the cities of the Rhine and Moselle. During this sojourn he
made many sketches which furnished subjects for some of his best paint-
ings in after years.
Returning to London he married and settled down to an artist’s
life, but his health failing him, his physician advised a change to sur-
roundings that would expose him more to the open air. He emigrated to
Canada in 1843 with his wife and family and settled upon Amherst
Island. He bought the farm west of Barry’s Point, a secluded and
beautifully situated spot, with a grove of tall cedars extending to the
shore. It was an ideal home for the artist who, through a small opening
in the trees, commanded a view of the blue waters of the bay, with the
picturesque shore line of the mainland in the distance. Here in his
quiet retreat, which he appropriately named “The Cedars,” he spent
over half a century and witnessed the tender saplings planted by him and
his faithful wife grow into large and stately shade trees. For fourteen
years he devoted himself to the cultivation and improvement of his
farm, and during this period never touched a brush.
He then paid a visit to England and renewed his old associations,
__ which revived his passion for art with a force not to be resisted. Upon
_ his return to Canada he resumed the practice of his profession and con-
finned it with faithful and devoted industry for thirty-five years. The
history of his career during this period is coexistent with that of Can-
ian art. His pictures were awarded many prizes at the Provincial =
ns rt
200 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
exhibitions between 1863 and 1875 and he materially assisted in improv-
ing their art department. In 1876 he carried away from the Centennial
Exhibition at Philadelphia the only medal awarded in America for water-
colour painting. In 1886 he received the diploma and medal at the Col-
onial and Indian Exhibition in London. He was one of the founders of
the Royal Canadian Academy, and, to the regret of many, declined to
allow his name to be placed in nomination as the first president.
He lived a secluded life, and for years at a time was not off the
island; yet he was so fully engrossed in his paintings, his garden, books,
and family circle that he reckoned those years among the happiest he
spent. Nature has been most bountiful towards Amherst Island in fur--
nishing it with many beautiful and picturesque little coves, nooks, and
points, which have been sketched by Mr. Fowler and rendered classic by
his artistic genius. He had a style peculiarly his own, and his strong
broad touch and daring colours can be easily discerned. As a painter
of still life and flowers he had perhaps no equal among his contempor-
aries. Although he mingled very little with the outer world, he kept in
close touch with the leading questions of the day and particularly with
the political changes in England.
He designed the little Anglican Church at Emerald and was a liberal
contributor to the building fund. The desk, altar, and windows also bear
testimony to his artistic taste. He took a deep interest in the island
volunteer company and gave some of his little master-pieces as prizes
for marksmanship. Altogether he was a fine type of the English gentle-
man; and his good wife fully sustained the best traditions of the truly
refined and cultured English lady. She came, on her mother’s side,
from the well-known English family of Leake, which has furnished to
the British navy and army some of its most daring commanders. Mr.
* Fowler died September 14th, 1894, in his eighty-fifth year. His widow
survived him by nine years, dying in August, 1903, aged ninety-two
years.
During the war of 1812 a few men of the Royal Artillery are said
to have been stationed on the cliff overlooking the Upper Gaps. ‘Two
guns, a six and twelve-pounder, stood ready to send their greetings to
the enemy, should any of them chance to pass that way. Having waited
in vain for an opportunity to test their marksmanship upon the expected
invaders, the officer in command felt that he and his men could render |
better service elsewhere; but they had no means of transporting their
guns to the mainland. The legend informs us that the guns were buried ©
upon the cliff which has since been known as “The Battery,” and the
artillery-men rowed across the bay and found their way back to th e
a ee
Ot aT BE
ee eS ee
, role , 2 f ‘ . , . 2 eee
$ : ~ . +
AMHERST ISLAND 201
barracks; but the buried field-pieces were never disturbed. It is a
,Tomantic spot, commanding a view that naturally appeals to the imagina-
tion of the painter or poet, and a chorus of dissent would be raised if
any antiquarian, with pick and shovel, attempted to verify the legend
ri which for a century has passed current among the youth of the island.
; It was sacred ground to Mr. Fowler, and to his children rendered more
sacred still by the father’s brush. His daughter, Mrs. Annie Christie,
seated upon the cliff, composed the following beautiful lines:
ABOVE THE GUNS
Where the waters of Quinte surge and sigh
With a sweet, mysterious minstrelsy,
O’er silver shingle, through whispering sedge,
And murmurous spaces of cave and ledge,
Where the blue-bells nod from each mossy edge;
Where over Ontario’s field of blue
Lies such calm as reigned when the earth was new ‘
Where on lovely Quinte’s breast impearled
The passing stain ofa smoke-wreath curled
Is all that tells of the living world;
Where the cliff hangs over the flood below,
A sombre shadow above the glow,
I, with my face to the shining west,
\t In a restful mood in a world at rest,
i Lie at my length on the grassy crest.
be 2 pen
Back from the edge a fathom’s space,
Clasping the cliff in a close embrace,
Binding the curve, like a fillet found
On a maiden’s tresses, a grass-grown mound
Guards from the verge’s utmost bound.
What is it? A midnight haunt of elves
Who make their home in the rocky shelves?
A witch’s circle? Or Nature’s way
‘To keep from danger her lambs that stray
_ On the slippery slope in the summer day ?
_ Far other. Here, so the legend runs, r
Lie buried two of old England’s guns;
_ And the circlet that crowns the lifted crest,
Ba n its emerald bravery softly dressed, , ;
| A a rampart once for her soldier’s breast. |
202 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The zephyrs wander, the blue-bells blow
O’er the muzzled watch-dogs that sleep below.
In the years gone by did they show their teeth?
Belched they their fiery, sulphurous breath
With a blast of flame and a bolt of death?
Was there a day when the silence broke,
And the echoes of headland and inlet woke,
Not to the nesting wood-bird’s note,
Or the dipping oars of a fisher’s boat,
But the hoarse, harsh bay of an iron throat?
Story tells not. Their work was done
When the peace that wraps us was earned and won;
All but forgotten they quiet lie;
But from under the sod, as the years go by,
They send us a message that may not die.
Oh! land of promise, that front’st the sun!
With untried feet set to a course unrun,
Out to the future thy fair hands reach,
But bend thine ear to the silent speech
And heed the lesson the guns would teach. > "a
The strength and the spirit that forged those guns q
Live and burn anew in the souls of thy sons.
Keep them, Canadians! deep, though dumb,
In prairie, and valley, and city’s hum,
For a need that—God grant it!—may never come.
But as blossoms whiten and grasses wave a
From the cannon’s scarce-remembered grave,
So from your buried strifes must rise
Love’s infinite possibilities,
And the flower of the nation’s destinies.
RICHMOND 203
a. CHAPTER XI
RICHMOND
The name Richmond is taken from the same source as Lennox,
the latter being derived from the family name Lennox, and the former
from the town of Richmond from which the family receives its ducal
title.
The story of the front of Richmond differs little from that of the
townships south of the river, except that it was a few years behind them,
and the first settlers came, not in large companies but in small groups,
and in many instances single families. The one centre of attraction
was the south-east corner of the township at The Appanee Falls, and
the greater portions of the chapters dealing with that village belong to
the history of the township of which it formed a part. The business of
4 the front of the township was not all created in the village at the falls;
‘ stores of no mean importance carried on a brisk trade at other points on
: ___ what we now call the Deseronto Road. As recently as seventy-five years
mr ago David Roblin had a general store about a mile east of Deseronto,
ie | and many years prior to that a store had been conducted in the same
locality by Mr. Kimmerly.
A more pretentious rival to Napanee was at her very doors, at the
corner where the Deseronto Road branches off near the residence of Mr.
M. C. Bogart. From the time the first saw-mill was set up in Napanee
tons of saw-dust were dumped into the river with an utter disregard of
the damage it might eventually do to the shipping interests. Whether or
not the business men about this corner expected that in time the river
above the bend would become impassable and that their location would
mark- the head of navigation and become a famous port the writer has
been unable to ascertain. They must have had great expectations in that
direction when they bestowed upon their little hamlet the imposing name
of Liverpool.
_ Of course there had to be a tavern. No matter how small the
place of business, a public-house appeared to be indispensable. There
5 were no high licenses in those days, and it did not require much capital
© set ie in the business. A taproom, with a bar across one end, served
é 1g ‘oe as well; fons ee it was time to close the bar it was
—s
ts
re eo ee
, early days of Richmond.
204 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
ceiling by hinges, was lowered so that the bottom of the frame was flush
with the outer edge of the top of the bar, and this made, with the front
of the counter, a partition shutting off that part of the room containing
the liquors from that in which the guests were assembled. With such
a room, stocked with a few barrels of whiskey: and beer, and an extra
bed-room or two, an iba dwelling could very easily be converted
into a tavern.
In the days of the stage-coach, before the railways were constructed,
the wayside inn was a greater necessity than to-day. ‘Ihe weary tra-
veller stopped where night overtook him; and if the inn was crowded it
was only a matter of a mile or two before he could reach another.
Thus there was the John Fralick Tavern at Morven, the old Quacken-
bush Tavern in Clarkville, the Red Tavern in Napanee, the Gunn Host-
lery at Liverpool, and another on the Deseronto Road next door to
the old Kimmerly store. ‘The old red frame building on the north-west
angle formed by the intersection of the Slash Road with the Front Road
is the tavern in which, long ago, John Gunn stood ever ready to furnish
refreshments to whomsoever honoured him with a call. On the op-
posite corner, in the white frame house, was the general store of George
H. Detlor. On the south side of the main road near the water’s edge
was a brewery and distillery operated at one time by Charles and James
Cull, behind which was a wharf extending far out into the river.
The farm to the east, one of the first to be taken up on this side of
the river, was owned by Elias Huffman, in whose family it has remained
for over a century. He formerly settled upon what is now known as
the Campbell place on the south side of the river; but being disappointed —
in the character of the soil, he moved across to the north side and
_ brought up his family in a large log house, which was superseded by the
frame dwelling still standing on the south side of the road. It is
reported that some members of the family, rather than go around by the
floating bridge to visit the new Richmond place when the log house was
building, used to ford the river across a bar near what is now known as
_Campbell’s Rocks. It was from this log house that the two sons, Jacob
‘and Elijah Huffman set out on foot, with a few days’ rations in bags
over their shoulders, to seek their fortunes in the wilds of the northern
part of the county, and became the founders of the Huffman settlement
at Moscow. Another son, Isaiah, remained on the old homestead, out-
lived the commercial enterprises of the neighbourhood, and built the
handsome brick residence on the north side of the road where he died
in 1890, highly respected as one of the few remaining pioneers of the
RICHMOND 205
One of the early residents of Selby was Edward Storr, who was
born at Selby, Yorkshire, England, and who, when a post-office was first
established, bestowed upon it the name of his birthplace. Before that
it was known as Gallagher’s Corners, taking the name from the pro-
prietor of a tavern about one fourth of a mile east of the present vil-
lage. Like the rest of the county there was no shortage of taverns in
; this neighbourhood; Selby was favoured at one time with no less than
1 three. Gallagher’s was the popular inn for a time, and all the traffic
from the northern country passed his door, as the Richmond Road had
not been built.
Among the first families in the vicinity were the Roses, McKims
Beemans, Donovans, Holcombs, and McNeils, names that have no fam-
iliar sound to the present generation, so great have been the changes. in
the ownership of property. This is in striking contrast with the town-
ship of Adolphustown where the roll-call, except for the Christian
names, differs little from what it was a century ago.
The first school-house, built over seventy years ago, was about one-
fourth of a mile west of the village. This in time gave way to the Union
School-house, which was originally constructed as a place of public wor-
ship as well, was provided with a pulpit and seating capacity for over
one hundred persons, and was used by the two Methodist bodies and the
Anglicans. The pupils came from boundary to boundary, the section
. being six miles in length. One of the ablest teachers sixty years ago was
; Wm. McMullen, who afterwards moved to Napanee and took a posi-
7, tion upon the staff of teachers of that town.
: Selby had its full quota of general merchants, among the first
being Patrick Phelan, David and John Wartman, and Thomas and John
Wesley Sexsmith; it also boasted a drug store kept by C. D. Sweet.
When the creek had a larger and swifter current than it has at pre-
sent Thomas Sexsmith built and for a number of years operated a saw-
mill, which proved a source of profit to himself and a convenience to the
neighbourhood. Napanee was brought nearer by the building of the -
Richmond Road; and the better facilities for reaching the merchants of
the town had a depressing effect upon the local trade of the village. The
stores gradually dwindled away, in time the taverns closed their doors,
and Selby shrank to its present proportions.
The first white man to settle north of the Salmon River was Joseph
Pringle, who with his wife Barbara took up land on the north bank
about midway between the present village of Roblin and Forest Mills.
_ They were monarchs of all they surveyed, both in fact and name, for
" old gentleman and his comely spouse, an aunt of Mr. Allan Oliver
n the Devercots Eos. were styled respectively, ek ae and “Queen,”
Spencer’s venture proved so profitable that he built a grist-mill a few
206 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
by all the later settlers, who paid homage to them as the pioneers of the
north of Richmond. Their son, Joseph re was the first white child
born north of the Salmon River.
This river took its name from the reat number of salmon which
used to come up the stream. They managed to leap all the falls and
rapids until they reached those at the site of Forest Mills, which were
too high and swift. Great quantities of them would at certain seasons
congregate at the foot of the falls, and it was an easy matter to scoop
out a cart-load in a few minutes. This barrier they could not overcome,
and none were to be had above this point. ‘This fact distinguished these
falls from all others upon the river, and before any mills were upon its
banks they: were designated as The Falls.
The second man to move into the northern wilderness was John
Windover, who was married to a sister of Joseph Pringle. He settled
upon a lot about one mile north of The Falls and built a log house there
about eighty-five years ago. James Davis, the third settler in this part of
the county, took up land in the vicinity of Westplain. The only bridge
over the river for years was at The Falls; and all the traffic from the
northern part of the county had to cross at that point. As the settle-
ment increased, a road was cut through the bush along the north bank
to the site of the present village of Roblin; and a small hamlet sprang
up there in the vicinity of The Falls. The first house was built by
Chauncey Windover about seventy-five years ago. There soon followed
the McConnels—John, James, and William—Calvin Dafoe, Aaron Oliver,
and Peter Bumhour.
Ezra A. Spencer saw an opportunity to serve his neighbours and
earn an honest penny out of a saw-mill; so he built a dam across the
stream, erected a mill, and set up in business in opposition to Archie
McNeil, who had established mills at The Falls, which lost their old
name and were known as McNeil’s Mills, a name which was retained
until a post-office was established, when it was changed to Forest Mills.
years later; and a village sprang up about the two mills, known as
Spencer’s Mills. This village, now called the old village, was on the
road running east and west, in fact the only road through that part of
the county, for the Richmond Road had not yet been constructed. Spen- _
cer’s Mills had its full quota of taverns kept, in the early days, by | aa
Christopher Huyck, Orin Pringle, and Bernard and Lambert Vanalstine. -
There were three or four stores. Among the early merchants might be —
mentioned Robert Metin. Wm. Paul, and Co Parrott. The |
| a - ; GF we an 7? en Ps oi ~* 4 A 1
} i ‘
RICH MOND 207
: In 1852 the Richmond Road was built, and all the northern traffic
that used to follow the north bank of the river and cross it by the bridge
at McNeil’s Mills was diverted from that route, crossed the river at
. Roblin, and came straight south by the new road to Napanee, with the
i result that the old village of Roblin was side-tracked, and the traffic
that formerly passed the doors of its hotels and merchants no longer had
occasion to do so. The route proposed by the road company was east of
the present line, and would have passed north and south through the
centre of the old village, but Spencer protested against his property being
cut up. This diversion of the proposed line was the beginning of the
end of the old village of Spencer’s Mills. By degrees many of the old
stores and dwellings were abandoned or moved over to the main thor-
oughfare, and a new village was formed.
In 1856 the government granted the prayer of the inhabitants for a
post-office, and it was proposed to call it Spencerville after Ezra A.
Spencer, who was still the leading man of the place; but that name had
already been appropriated in another part of the province; so it was
: named after the most popular man in the county, Mr. David Roblin, the
| sitting member for this riding in the old Parliament of Canada.
In 1860 a correspondent of the Standard drove through the county
in the month of August and summed up his observations concerning his
trip through Richmond as follows: “Rye, hay, and barley are being cut,
( __ winter wheat is ripening, the spring crops are the best I ever saw. ‘The
i orchards are loaded with fruit, and we have prospects of an abundant
i harvest. Our grain buyers may as well begin to fill up their coffers, and
we may all look out for a better time coming.
“In our drive we passed through Selby, a smart little village four
miles north of this place. It has a population of some three hundred,
four stores, two churches, town-hall, two inns, and one carriage shop. A
new school-house is being erected. There are several mechanics’ shops;
and a large amount of business is done in the sale of dry goods, grocer-
ies, and provisions; and great quantities of produce,—potash, shingles,
and lumber are purchased here. This is the seat of the township of
Richmond, and has a fine settlement surrounding it.
“Roblin village lies five miles north of Selby and has some two hun-
dred population. There is a good water privilege here on the Salmon
River with a saw-mill and machine shops, also several stores, tavern,
Bete. .
i” eee ee
i
“Two miles below this place lies Vader’s Mills, another good privi-
lege with saw-mill and machinery. Two miles lower down is McNeil’s
(Forest Mills) with saw and grist-mill and factory.”
208 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XII
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE
Napanee takes its name from Appanea, the Indian appellation of
the falls before the white man took up any land in the vicinity. The
signification of the word is unknown. We have no reason for believing
that the place had attracted any one, either red or white, to settle at this
particular point before the building of the first mill in 1786, although
it has been suggested that it was the site of Ganneious, one of the out-
posts of the Kenté mission established about the year 1669. ‘There is
no direct evidence that this post was seven miles up the Napanee River,
and there appears to be no particular reason why it should have been so
located as the river was not recognized:as a link in any of the great trade
routes across the country.
Doubtless the Indians, who were ardent lovers of nature, had, when
passing this way on their hunting expeditions, paused to admire the
foaming waters, as they tumbled noisily over the limestone ledges, and
had deemed the place of sufficient importance to assign to it the euphon-
ious name which happily has been retained. The white man, with a
view of utilizing the power, built his little hamlet in the vicinity of
nearly every waterfall in the older parts of the province, and these have
grown into villages, towns, and cities; but the Indian was not influenced
by any stich utilitarian motive. At certain seasons the fish might gather
in great numbers at the foot of the falls; but fish were so plentiful in
all the lakes and rivers that that alone wield not be a very strong induce-
ment for founding a village at the place. No one has ever found relics
to indicate that an Indian village ever existed here; and no mention has
been made of the place by any of the earlier travelers, |
For the same reason, that it is not to-day in the direct line of any
of the great water routes, the river could not have been used to advantage
for that purpose two or three hundred years ago. No stream in the pro- a
vince is more difficult to navigate, owing to the great number of fa of
and rapids which render a portage necessary every few miles. Al
the town has easy communication with the bay and lake at th - pre:
time and is on the main line of our oldest railway we must ¢
in aig | ee mei, the red man Diets ons psn
COVERED BRIDGE, NAPANEE. 1840-1909.
G. T. R. BRIOGE, NAPANEE. BUILT 1855.
—
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL RESIDENCE, NAPANEE.
THE OLD RED TAVERN, NAPANEE.
ate! ry
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE 209
settled part to-day was, in its primitive state, a swamp over-grown with
reeds and scrubby bushes, a breeding-ground for mosquitoes, where the
frogs all summer long nightly answered the croaks of their brothers in
the marsh under the hill.
The inhabitants of Napanee were a long time in determining what
part of the land upon which the town is now built should become the
business centre of the place, and what should eventually be set apart as
the choicest residential quarters. Roblin’s Hill was not considered
suitable for dwellings, owing to the shallow soil, the supposed difficulty
in obtaining drinking water, and the steep climb that was necessary in
order to gain the summit; yet Mr. David Roblin, in his day the most
influential man in the county, chose it as a site for his house. Clarkville
was limited to a narrow strip along the base of the hill; but Mr. Archie .
McNeil, a shrewd and calculating business man, had such confidence in
its ultimate destiny that he built a store there, and erected a substantial
house, surrounded by beautiful grounds decorated with shrubbery and
flowers.
Although no one at the present time would seriously contemplate
putting his money into a dwelling east of the Newburgh Road, the
“King of Napanee,” Allan Macpherson, did not hesitate to build on the
bank of the river the handsomest house in the county at the time of its
erection. The popular and prosperous Alexander Campbell went to the
other extreme and selected a site for his magnificent residence on the
other side of the river beyond the limits of the corporation. In fact the
primitive condition of the land upon which Napanee now stands was
such that, but for the presence of the water-power, no one would have
selected it as a site for a town; and it has been only through the energy
and enterprise of its citizens that the natural difficulties in the way of
the settler have been successfully overcome and transformed it into one
of the prettiest sites in the province. The question of drainage, which
should be one of the first considerations, but is too frequently overlooked,
has baffled generations of town councils; and it is only in recent years
that the difficulty has been faced and a system inaugurated at a very
large expenditure of money.
The records inform us that at the building of the first log flour-mill
On the south side of the river in 1786 a clearing was made of one and
three-quarter acres; but the writer has yet to learn from any acknow-
ledged authority the exact position of that clearing. The first mill was
built on the south side of the river because it afforded the most con-
__vensent location; that side of the river bank sloped gently to the water’s
edge at the foot of the fall, while the other side was rough and steep,
14
210 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
A sluice-way could be constructed on the Fredericksburgh side along an
easy grade; whereas the Richmond side presented no such facilities ; and
the canal constructed about the year 1840 was the only final solution of
the difficulty encountered in conducting the water from above the falls
to the mills below. There doubtless were some residences for those in
charge of the mills: for while we are accustomed to speak of the first
mill at Napanee, meaning the grist-mill, there were in fact two, a saw-
mill and a grist-mill, and-the former was, as a matter of convenience,
built first in order that it might be used in shaping the material for the
grist-mill.
We find in the account-book of Robert Clark several items of
expenditure in connection with the building of the grist-mill, and among
them the following: “To clearing one acre and three-quarters of Land
for a mill, at seven dollars per acre £3.” It would not be necessary to
clear this quantity of land for a mill alone, and, as the entry is among
others for expenditures incurred just as the mill was approaching com-
pletion, it is probable that the greater portion of this clearing was for
residences and gardens for those connected with the mill, unless we
assume that Mr. Clark omitted to make the charge when the work was
actually done, an omission he was not likely to make when we consider
that the other entries all appear to be'in their proper sequence. The land
lying along the bank of the river from the foot of the falls to the agri-
cultural grounds, containing not quite two acres, would be very well
adapted for the purpose, and was probably the first clearing in Napanee.
Allan Macpherson himself first lived within this area before he
built on the other side of the river; and old residents state that there
were several small houses in that vicinity occupied by employees of the
mills. Near the edge of the sand pit may still be seen a part of the
foundation of the Macpherson house, and the land south of it in the
centre of which is a clump of bushes, was his garden. Across the road,
in the Agricultural Society grounds and about three rods east of the
main entrance, was Macpherson’s barn. Some of the stones which
formed its foundation are still cropping out of the ground. The village
needed room for expansion, so it leaped across the shallow strip of soil
where the race track is to the more suitable locality above the bend in the
river. There several streets were laid out, many of which have since
been closed, residences, taverns, and other buildings were erected, and
a busy village soon followed and took its name from James Clark, upon
whose land it was built.
In the early part of the last century the Cartwrights built a grist
mill on the Richmond side of the river near the present site of the old
:
6
.
:
4
3
.
a
or =e
— ~~ - sd a ® . : s 7 ~~ = *
.
.
,
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE a ks
Herring foundry. This new mill gave an impetus to the village that had
already begun to spring up on the north side; but it was not until about
the year 1840 that there was any serious thought of extending the limit
of the corporation west of East Street and then only when, by a process
of elimination, expansion in every other direction was consigered out of
the question. The old Macpherson residence, the old English Church
which stood on the corner of Thomas Street and the Newburgh Road
and the building up of Salem (Vine’s Corner), all bear testimony to the
confidence the first residents had in East Ward as the real centre of the
town. For many years nearly all the business of the village was trans-
acted in this district, which contained the first store, tavern, church, and
school-house on the north side of the river. There is still standing on
the north side of Dundas Street, on a high foundation, with the end of
the building next the street, one of the old relics of the glory of the east
end. This was the famous Red Tavern, the scene of many a lively
scrimmage when whisky was cheap, and it was not considered the duty
of the town constable to interfere when the country boys saw fit to settle
their little differences by a rough and tumble contest in the tavern yard.
At that time Piety Hill was separated from West Bridge Street by
a low, wet ravine, and the high ground in the west end of the town was
covered with pine trees, a few of which, having escaped the axe of the
woodman, are still standing in the grounds of the Travers’ residence,
originally built and occupied by the Honourable John Stevenson. That
part of the town just west of Robert Street, which contains so many
handsome dwellings, was almost inaccessible, and could be reached only
by crossing a creek beyond which was a swamp in which the water was
several feet deep even in the time of some of the present inhabitants.
The river was first spanned by a floating bridge, replaced from time
to time by wooden ones, which were frequently damaged by ice-jams in
the spring, until a substantial covered wooden bridge was constructed in
1840. This proved to be one of the most remarkable bridges in the
province; indeed it is doubtful if any other structure of its kind ever
stood so long and carried such an enormous amount of traffic with so
little repairs. It was torn down in 1909, and the planks forming the
_ lattice-work were, after sixty-nine years of constant service, found to be
_ still so sound that they were utilized in street crossings in the outlying
_ portions of the town, and bid fair to out-live some of the new material
laid down at the same time. The present iron bridge is built on the site
of the old covered one; and there may be seen on the south bank of the
a few yards from the highway, a portion of the grading which
ed the approach to one of the wooden bridges that did service prior
ris 7
a i |
212 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
There still stands in the grounds of the Agricultural Society a little
building in which many of the old residents of the town received their
first and only education. For many years in the second quarter of the
last century a school was conducted in the basement of the building now
occupied by, Mr. Samuel McCoy. So far as known this was the first
building devoted to school purposes in Clarkville, and the first teacher
of whom we have any record was a Mrs. Dier, supposed to be the widow
of the first doctor of Napanee. Later on the school was moved to an
old two-story building at the base of the hill, and there it remained, until
about the year 1846, when John Solomon Cartwright donated the strip
of land off the north side of the field, atterwards purchased by the Agri-
cultural Society, and upon it was built the cottage school-house. The
first trustees of that school were James Henry, John W. Perry, and
Robert Lowry. The old two-story house in use before it was built was
torn down about forty-five years ago; and there was found in the
chimney by Mr. Thos. S. Henry, a rapier, which he presented to the
masonic lodge of the town, and which is still among the properties of
that society.
At the time of the building of the Clarkville school there was on
the other side of the river, near the big elm tree at the railway bridge, a
school-house one and a half stories high, said to have been built by Allan
Macpherson at his own expense. The lower story was devoted to the
school and to public meetings of almost every character, and for some
time it was the only public hall in the village. In the upper story lived
the teacher. This was the first school-house built in Napanee but, before
it was erected, a school was for some time conducted in an old building
on the river’s bank near the falls. We have been unable to fix the date
of its erection, but it must have been ten or fifteen years earlier than the
old one standing in the Agricultural Grounds.
As the land upon which it stood was expropriated by the Grand
Trunk Railway the old building was torn down and rebuilt on Piety Hill,
where for many years it was used as a dwelling-house. In 1892 it was |
called upon to make way for the handsome residence of Mr. H. B. Sher-
wood. This time it was moved to Roblin’s Hill as a Church of England .
Mission ; and in 1900 it made its last journey and suffered the humilia-
tion of belag transported to the country, where it now serves as an
addition to a cheese factory on the Palace Road.
The question naturally suggests itself, why didn’t the people of
Clarkville patronize the school on the other side of the river? That was —
the one thing the residents on the Fredericksburgh side would not ¢
for by so doing they would be admitting the superiority of the Richr
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE 213
side, and the rivalry between the two sides was too keen for that. Clark-
__ Ville had its own tavern kept by Andrew Quackenbush, who afterwards
; retired and moved out to his farm, its own store kept by Archie McNeil,
and the McNeil residence with its beautiful grounds, and its own doctor,
in fact the only one in the vicinity. It was with grave apprehension that
the residents at the foot of the hill witnessed the growth of the village
rc on the other side of the stream, and it was to check the expansion in that
direction and to maintain their own identity that the cottage school-house
| was built.
| The first mill had been built on that side of the river, the township
of Fredericksburgh had taken its place among the important settlements
of the county when Richmond was regarded as in the backwoods, the
first school in the province had been opened within its boundaries two
years after the landing of the Loyalists; and it would be a serious blow
to the pride of the inhabitants of that township to have to send their
children to be educated in another and, to them, inferior township. So
for a time the two schools were maintained within sight of each other;
and many a battle royal was fought on the banks of the stream between
the pupils of the rival institutions.
It was not without a struggle that the residents of Clarkville saw
their glory departing; but an inexorable fate had decreed that the town
should be built up on the Richmond side of the river. Few of the old
landmarks of its former greatness now remain. The old McNeil house is
still standing ; and any one interested in the old village will be repaid by a
- visit before it at last tumbles down. It is not on the Clarkville Road, but
on the short street south of it, and is well situated on a rising piece of
ground overlooking a bend in the river, an ideal spot for a house. The
front is almost concealed by a wilderness of plum trees and lilacs, and
the yard is overgrown with weeds; but inside will be seen evidences of
comfortable arrangements which few modern houses possess. ‘Two
spacious fireplaces on the ground floor have their counterparts in the
rooms above; and the huge chimney in the rear is all that is left of the
old kitchen. It was built before stoves were in general use and when
wood was the only fuel; and the yawning cavity under the old chimney
across which was swung the iron crane, supporting the kettles of savoury
stews, has in its day supplied many a banquet to the guests of the old
mansion. From the position of the rooms on the ground floor it is appar-
ent that the dining-room was in the addition to the rear of the main
building. In the vacant lot in front of the house stands an old pine tree,
rom the branches of which McNeil used to suspend the carcasses of the
a yes slaughtered by his workmen. The base of the tree served as a
214 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
hitching-post towards which the butcher’s victims were hauled by a rope
about the horns.
A street used to run behind the house; and on this street, nearly
opposite the dwelling, stood the tannery of William Templeton, grand-
father of the present bearer of the same name, the editor of the Napanee
Beaver. It was a two-story building, the lower part and a basement on
the slope of the bank being used as the tannery, and the upper story as
a dwelling for the proprietor. During a dry season chips of the tan bark
may still be seen on the edge of the bank. East of the tannery was the
carding-mill of Andrew Quackenbush, who obtained the power to propel
his machinery from an old-fashioned horse tread-mill. A part of the
old Quackenbush tavern is still standing east of the McNeil house, and)
is at present occupied by Mr. George Grass. It formerly had an addition
to it, which has been removed. In the addition was the court-room in
which the Court of Requests was held and the Fredericksburgh magis-
trates sat for the trial of petty offences.
The Henry house, built by Dr. Brewster over eighty years ago and
afterwards purchased by the late James Henry, is still in the family,
and in a good state of preservation. On the opposite corner stood the
McNeil store, and near by was the Ramsay store in which the late Sir
John A. Macdonald is said to have had an office for a short time before
he began to practise law in Kingston. His biographer makes no mention
of his ever having resided in Napanee, but the writer has interviewed
many old residents who positively assert that he did; but they differ as
to his having practised law in the village. There appears to be no room
for doubt that young Macdonald was for a short time in Ramsay’s
employ ; and it is not improbable that while so engaged he displayed his
aptitude for unravelling knotty problems, and was intrusted with some
of the legal business of his employer; thus giving rise to the belief that
he actually practised law in Napanee.
An anonymous correspondent of the Beaver forty years ago referred
to Sir John A. as a regular attendant at divine service in the old school-
house in East Ward, and speaks of his taking a prominent part in pitch-
ing the tunes, an accomplishment which his biographer has also over-
looked. The Methodists and Anglicans used to hold their services in —
this building before any churches were erected in Napanee. The mis- —
sionary in charge of the Napanee parish at the time was the late Rev. ~
Saltern Givens, who in the course of an address delivered by him
at the laying of the foundation-stone of the present St. Mary Magdalene
Church, stated that John A. Macdonald was one of a number of
men who used to meet on week evenings in the school-house and
tise the hymns and psalms ie the aan! following. ee
s F hal Te. reas eal i sd - =~ A il -
SOM Me nF eer 5g. oi aa
— ee an er oe es
ert Sor = r -
s
4
i
.
.
*
~
5
7
.
=
4
*
3
P|
.
Board decided to erect a brick building on Bridge Street to accommodate
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE 215
;
About twenty-five years ago, when paying a flying visit to the town
during a general election, and engrossed as he must have been with so
many calls upon his time, with that characteristic thoughtfulness which
he possessed in such a remarkable degree, Sir John did not forget his
old Clarkville friends; but found time to call upon the Widow Henry,
whose dwelling was only a few rods from the store in which he had
served fifty years before. Upon that occasion he remarked that he was
familiar with every stone in the foundation of the old building which is
still standing and is the first house on the north side of the street east of
the Agricultural Grounds. The ordinary citizen of Napanee would
indignantly scoff at the idea of there being a log house in our town, yet
if he would strip the clap-boards off the house just across from the old;
Ramsay store he would find that there is at least one, and this one built
only sixty years ago.
Mr. Thomas S. Henry was among the first pupils of the new Clark-
ville school. About the same time John Newton taught in the school on
the other side of the river; later he was succeeded by the late Dr. Grange.
As a lad Mr. Henry went to a circus, the tent of which was pitched on
the west side of East street near where the residence of Mr. F. W. Smith
now stands, and remembers seeing the elephants led away to the woods,
—the present site of the court-house and jail.
The first Academy in Napanee was built in 1846 on the lot north
of the Western Methodist Church, and the first head-master was the
Rey. J..A. Devine, M.A. One of the most popular masters of the Aca-
demy was Robert Phillips, who began his career as a school teacher at
Asselstine’s Factory, Ernesttown, in 1842, and afterwards taught in the
Public School and High School at Bath until 1855, when he accepted the
head-mastership of the Academy. The trustees at that time were Dr.
Carey, father of the Venerable Archdeacon Carey of Kingston, John
Benson, John Stevenson, James Blakeley, John Gibbard, and Allan
Templeton. The Academy was then used both as a High School and
Public School, there being twenty pupils in the former department and
forty in the latter. There were several private schools in the town
which also accommodated a large number of pupils. Under the new
head-master the school improved; and the attendance increased to such
an extent that it was found necessary to provide more accommodation.
Another building was erected south of the Academy, and for a time it
was used exclusively for the High School pupils and the other building
was given over for the use of the Public School.
This arrangement did not prove very satisfactory; so in 1864 the
~ ee
7 -
4 °.
~~ Or
216 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
all the classes of both schools.. The contract was awarded to John
Herring at $7,950, work was commenced at once, and the new Academy,
the present West Ward school, was opened in 1865 with Mr. Phillips
as its first head-master. Napanee, with a population of 1,400, was justly
proud of the new building, which was by far the handsomest school
structure in the county. At the time it was deemed sufficient for the
entire school population of the town. The Clarkville school had been
closed, and the old building near the railway bridge had been removed.
The splendid reputation for good schools which for sixty years our
town has boasted of began with Mr. Phillips. He was thorough and
painstaking, and was loved by his pupils and highly esteemed by the
citizens; and when he resigned his position in 1867 he was presented
with many testimonials of the affectionate regard of all classes of the
community.
Only a few years had passed after the erection of the Academy, as
the West Ward School was called, when the residents of the East Ward
were again heard from. The one building in which the Grammar and
Public Schools were housed was found to be inadequate for the purpose.
More school room was needed, and the East Enders saw an opportunity
of regaining some of their lost prestige. The English Church was being
torn down and removed to West Ward, the trade of the town had nearly
all passed beyond East Street, the greater portion of the Fredericksburgh
traffic now reached the town by way of the bridge on Centre Street, the
Richmond Road had diverted all the northern travel down Centre Street
that used to reach Napanee by way of Selby and Vine’s Corner; in fact
every public improvement for years, except the building of the Court-
house and jail, had deprived the east end of the town of some of its
.former advantages.
A new school was needed; and it was high time that that part of the
town, which eighty years before had been the centre of the life and trade
of Napanee, should receive some recognition from the other wards. It
was unfair that the young children of the East Ward should be called
upon to walk from one end of the town to the other to reach the school.
These and other arguments were pressed upon the trustees, who com-
mitted the serious mistake of deciding upon the erection of a second
Public School. At that time no one foresaw the rapid strides that would
be made in the next twenty years in our educational institutions. It was
- intended that the new building should furnish accommodation both for
the Grammar School and for the Public School pupils residing in that —
part of the town. On April 30th, 1872, Mr. George Cliff presented re
plans and specifications of the school-house, which were accepted by the
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE 217
~
i
©
r
)
Board; and building operations were well under way in a few weeks’
time. In less than a year the building was ready for occupation and on
April 16th, it was opened without any ceremony except a few impromptu
remarks from one or two trustees and the architect. During the first
term no less than one hundred and eighty pupils were enrolled, and these
were formed into three classes, which were so congested that it became
necessary to engage a fourth teacher at the beginning of the second
term.
“ By 1882 more room was required for the accommodation of the
classes of the High School, which met in the Academy. The only avail-
able building in any way suitable for the purpose was the Roblin resi-
dence on Roblin’s Hill, and the School Board concluded to secure it. A
| new difficulty arose as this house was not within the limits of the cor-
poration; and as it was impracticable to move the large building down
the hill so as to comply with the requirements of the School Act the
only alternative was adopted by extending the boundaries of the town
to include this property. This was accordingly done, and this building
. was the home of the High School for several years. It was an ideal
location in some respects, but very inconvenient, especially during the
winter season. The ceilings were low, the ventilation none too good, and
it was not long before parents complained about the long walk and the
crowded rooms. If Napanee were to maintain its reputation for afford-
ing educational facilities to its population it became apparent that the day
for erecting a suitable building for the High School could not be much
longer deferred. A most competent staff of teachers under Mr. Cortez
Fessenden was giving excellent satisfaction; but they could not do jus-
tice to themselves or the ever increasing number of pupils in their
cramped quarters.
A new building was an imperative necessity and, in the face of a
_ strong opposition from some ratepayers, the Board wisely determined
_ that one should be erected in keeping with the needs of the town and
county. The present Collegiate Institute, although built over twenty
years ago, is in every respect an up-to-date building, owing to the care
bestowed upon the plans by the building committee in investigating all
the latest improvements in school architecture and equipment, and select-
_ ing what they believed to be the best; and the thorough test it has since
_ undergone has amply proven that they erred little, if at all, in their
_ judgment. Many objections were raised at the time to the site and,
_ while it is to be regretted that a more central location could not be
_ obtained, it will be found upon taking a survey of the town that suitable
grounds nearer the centre could not be secured. The building was
218 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
erected in the years 1889-1890, and the committee was composed of A. —
L. Morden, Chairman, W. F. Hall, D. H. Preston, W. Coxall, T..S.
Henry, A. Henry, W. Templeton, and H. V. Fralick.
Mr. Fred Bartlett was the superintending Architect ; es the -con-
tracts for the work were distributed as follows:
Wm. and Hugh Saul, Camden East, stone-work and excavating
Wm. Evans, brick-work
George A. Cliff, carpenter-work
Mr. Lang, Belleville, slating
Boyle & Son, galvanized iron-work, plumbing, etc.
John Wallace, plastering, and
D. Ash, painting.
r
If the roll of any class of public servants in Napanee should have
been more carefully preserved than any other it is the list of teachers
who have from time to time taught in our High School and Public
Schools; but, unfortunately, no such record is in existence to-day, or, if
it be, its whereabouts is unknown. In referring to the two grades of
schools one naturally places the higher in rank first; but, in the hearts
of most people the teachers of the Public Schools hold a place so dear
that no associations in after life, apart from the family ties, can ever
dislodge them. It may be that other towns have been blessed with the
same patient, faithful class of Public School teachers as Napanee; but it
would be difficult to conceive how any: could have better. In our rural
schools the teachers too frequently make use of the profession as a
stepping-stone to some other calling, and, although they may possess
ability and apply themselves faithfully to their work, they cannot enter
into it with the same spirit as the teacher who has dedicated her life
to the training of the little ones and feels the awful responsibility that
rests upon her shoulders. I purposely refer to the female teachers; for,
with the exception of Mr. James Bowerman, who rendered excellent
service in our Public School for twenty-two years, the teachers who have
for more than a generation devoted all their energies towards the educa-
tion of the children of Napanee have all been women. Hundreds of |
grown-up men and women in Napanee to-day, and as many more dis- |
persed over the continent, when all other faculties have grown dim, will
cherish with loving memory the happy days spent in the class-rooms of _
Miss C. H. Ballantyne, Miss Jennie F. Walsh, ‘Miss Lucinda Ayleswe
and Miss Mary E. Fraser. Z
The head-masters and assistants of the High School and C
Institute have, of the most ie been men of te ,
. 2
Y ~
THE BEGINNING OF NAPANEE 219
their profession; and many of them are to-day filling some of the most
important positions in the educational work of our province.
The following is a complete list of the teachers who have been
engaged in the schools of Napanee so far as the writer, from the sources
at his disposal, has been able to ascertain them.
Head-masters of Grammar School and Collegiate Institute
Messrs. Thos. Newton, J. A. Devine, James Grange, John ‘Thomp-
'z son, R. Phillips, E. B. Harper, H. M. Deroche, John Campbell, R. Mathe-
: son, C, Fessenden, T. M. Henry, U. J. Flach.
Head-masters of Public School
Messrs, Thos. Newton, J. A. Devine, James Grange, John Thomp-
son, A. Russell, Alex. Martin, Peter Nelson, H. V. Fralick, A. C.
Osborne, J. Bowerman, J. R. Brown, C. H. Edwards, J. C. Tice.
Assistant Teachers in the Grammar School and Collegiate Institute
Miss E. J. Yeomans, Messrs. Geo. Shuntcliff, D. C. McHenry, Staf-
ford Lightburn, D. F. Bogart, Wm. Tilley, S. J. Shorey, C. F. Russel,
J. J. Magee, W. Chipman, N. Wagar, G. Kimmerly, C. C. James, R. F.
Ruttan, G. A. Chase, J. H. Hough, M. F. Libby, W. R. Sills, Miss C.
L.. Roe, Messrs. A. Martin, G. H. Reid, A. E. Lang, L. Bowerman, G.
W. Morden, J. Colling, Wm. Lochead, F. W. French, A. G. Wilson,
Misses Margaret Nicol, Margaret Smith, Messrs. J. F. VanEvery, F. S.
Selwood, Miss E. A. Deroche, Messrs. M. R. Reid, R. A. Croskery, A.
M. Burnham, Miss E. M. Henry, Messrs. T. C. Smith, H. E. Collins,
Misses Jessie Mitchell, J. L. Galloway, Mr. E. A. Miller, Misses C.
Saunders, Isabella Moir, Helen Grange, Messrs. H. J. Haviland, J. M.
Hutchinson, Lewis Might, Miss A. M. Dickey, Messrs. J. E. Benson,
R. S. Jenkins, W. B. Taylor, W. B. Brown, E. J. Corkill.
Assistant Teachers of the Public School
* Michael Dolan, Richard Corbett, John Burnip, Kelly, Fisher, Misses
_ Morgan, Miss Amanda Fralick, Messrs. J. W. Bell, J. Fox, Stafford
_ Char
ike
4
nS Su, 1
oe.)
i eee ee i i —— bs ee a
Mrs. Dier, Messrs. Faulkner, Tripp, Corey, O’Connor, Jas. McCann, .
Nelson, Quair, Mrs. Chas. Chamberlain, Miss Schemehorn, Alfred _
_ Lightburn, Robert Williamson, William McMullen, Misses Mary Wright, —
tt Fralick, years Butterfield, Messrs. Wallace Blakeley, Ori-
220 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
son D. Sweet, Thos. Laduc, Misses Mary C. Rennie, Sarah Chamber-
lain, Mr. Wm. Bryers, Miss H. Davy, Mrs: G. Robson, Misses E. Brown,
A. Hosey, Ll. Vandyck, J. F. Walsh, A. Yourex, L. Aylesworth, M.
Phelan, Mary E. Fraser, C. H. Ballantyne, Mr. A. M. Anderson, Miss
B. Phelan, Mr. R. R. Lennox, Misses E. Gillen, Lydia Caton, T. Mc-
Creight, Ella James, Mr. W. J. Black, Misses F. Sawyer, W. B. Kaylor,
G. L. Wagar, Eunice A. Shipman, Mr. M. R. Reid, Misses A. Tutle, A.
M. Detlor, B. Lafferty, S. McLaurin, L. McLaurin, N. L. Grange, Mr.
J. D. Henry, Misses E. B. Vrooman, Catherine A. Grange, Minnie
Grange, S. H. Mills, Misses Mary Lamey, Margaret O’Brien, Mrs. Eva
Toby, Miss Dora Casey, Mr. Wm. R. Sills, Misses Emma Allen, L.
Wallace, Mr. Frank Anderson, Misses Edith Harris, H. Ethel Mair,
Jessie E. Mair, Etta Harrison, Jessie Crysler, Etna R. Baker, Florence
G. Hall, Mata Wales, Elsie A. Parks, Mabel Caton, Lillian Caton, Emma
FE. Vanluven, Blanche Hawley, Norma Shannon.
’
a
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 221
CHAPTER XIII
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE
As Napanee owed its origin to the grist-mill erected in 1786, it was
quite natural that the mill should play an important part im the history
of the village. For years it was the leading feature of the place, and
many of the most prominent families of Napanee were, in one way or
another, interested in its operation. After it had passed into the hands
of Mr. Cartwright he began to look about for a capable mill-wright to
make some needed improvements and superintend the operation of the
new mill. Such a man he found in young John Grange, who had
E emigrated from Scotland in 1794 and settled in or near Syra-
: cuse in the State of New York. After some correspondence Grange
| entered into an agreement with Mr. Cartwright to come to Napanee and
take charge of the mills. He was the progenitor of the many branches
} of the Grange family who for over a century have been intimately asso-
if ciated with the development of the town. The birth of his son William,
| in 1800, was an event of some importance, as it is claimed that he was
the first white child born in Napanee; though the same distinction is
claimed for James I. Vanalstine said to have been born in the same
year.
: After concluding his engagement with Mr. Cartwright, Grange pur-
1 chased from him a large tract of land, which became the Grange home-
stead. At the time of the purchase he believed that he was getting the
land upon which the town now stands, and claimed that that was the
‘ understanding between them; but upon examining his title he found
; that a substantial reservation had been made of all the land bordering
upon the river, so he was forced to build his dwelling about a mile north
of the town.
Disappointed in not securing a portion at least of the water privilege
at the falls, he developed a power and built a saw-mill upon the stream
crossing his farm. This was used to advantage for two generations for
the benefit of himself and neighbours; but as the land lying along the
banks of the stream was cleared the flow of water was so reduced that
it could not produce sufficient power to turn the wheel except during the
_ spring freshets. Eventually it was abandoned, the dam was washed
away, and little, if any, trace now remains to point out the location of
222 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
the first power developed in the county other than that at the falls in
Napanee.
About the year 1812 the mill was rented to Allan Macpherson, who
in his day was the most prominent and influential man in the village.
He kept a general store at the foot of Adelphi Street near where the
office of the Gibbard Company now stands; and in the store he kept the
first post-office opened in Napanee. He owned and operated a distillery
and a saw-mill near the base of the falls on the opposite side of the
river, and was extensively engaged in the lumber business. He was mar-
ried to a daughter of Judge Fisher of Adolphustown, and was himself a
Justice of the Peace and a member of the Court of Requests for the
seventh division of the District, which comprised the township of Rich-
mond and a part of Hungerford. Altogether “Mac,” as he was fam- a
iliarly called, had very good reasons for posing as the Laird of Napanee; ;
for-no one man either before or since his time has wielded a greater influ-
ence in the community than he. He was conscious of his own import-
ance, and by some was regarded as overbearing; but we can readily con-
ceive that a man with so many business enterprises upon his hands
- would find it necessary to assert and stand by his rights. He built the
old Macpherson residence, which is still standing on the bank of the
river in Kast Ward, and was in its day the most imposing building of its
kind in the county.
He took a lively interest in all matters affecting the public welfare,
and built the first school-house in Napanee. While he scrupulously
insisted that every man he dealt with should live up to his obligations
he was kind to the poor, and always ready to extend a helping hand to
his friends. Among the clerks employed by him in his store was an old
bachelor, Frederick Hesford, who owned a hundred acres or more in
that part of the town now known as Upper Napanee and through which
runs a street named after him. Upon his death he willed this land to
different members of the family of his employer. Allan Macpherson,
upon being appointed Crown Lands Agent, removed to Kingston, and
was succeeded in business by his son Donald, who for many years was
reckoned aniong: the prominent men of the village.
There was no surveyor’s subdivision of the village into Sots when
the first buildings were erected; and it was not until the year 1831 that
a regular plan of the site of the town proper was prepared by Samuel |
Benson, P.L.S. This plan shews a pot-ashery, a grist-mill, and a saw- a
mill on the north side of the river. Napanee proper, as originally laid
out, extended only from the river to Thomas Street and from East Street
to West Street, thus excluding the limits of the first village, all of » 1
Pay MEM HEMET emer ite! Te y40 a), PQ PO
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 2238
lay east of East Street. In the subdivision of what is now known as
East Ward that triangular portion bounded by Bridge, Dundas, and
Adelphi Streets has not to this day been laid out into lots. This omission
is explained by the fact that it was built up before the arrival of the
surveyor, and any attempt upon his part to lay it out into regular lots
not corresponding with the land occupied by the several owners would
have led only to confusion. This also accounts for the irregularity of
many of the holdings in East Ward which are not uniform in size or
shape.
: Until recent years Napanee had more places where intoxicating
liquor was sold than were necessary for thé good of the inhabitants, In
the local press of 1855 a correspondent complains about there being no
less than seventeen licensed drinking places in the village. Such appears
to have been the condition of affairs from the beginning, and two of the
first buildings to be erected on Main Street after the survey by Benson
were taverns, both built by the same man, Daniel Pringle. The first
was built near the site of the present Royal Hotel; and shortly after its
completion he sold out to Miles Shorey and immediately proceeded to
erect the Tichborne House on the corher now occupied by the Smith
Block.
Among the first buildings erected on Main Street between East and
_ John Streets was the frame building still standing on the-corner opposite
the Rennie Block, which was built and for many years occupied as a
general store by John Benson, who lived on the corner of Bridge and
East Streets now owned by Mr. John Thompson. Mr. Augustus Hooper,
who afterwards represented this county in the Legislative Assembly,
received his start in life in this store as managing clerk for Mr. Benson.
About the same time the first building erected on the corner at the other
end of the same block, where now stands the Albert Block, was built
by John V. Detlor; here for many years he also carried on business as a
general merchant.
The trade of the town gradually extended westward along Main
Street, and about the year 1840 the Merchants Bank corner for the first
time was occupied as a place of business. It was here that David Roblin,
afterwards one of the leading men of the county and for many years its
_ Tepresentative in Parliament, began his career as a Napanee merchant,
having come to the village from the front of Richmond, where he had
kept a store for three years. He carried on an extensive and profitable
business; and for a long time this was regarded as one of the most —
popular sites in the village and town, a reputation which it failed to
main ain after the erection of the Leonard Block, as the present build-
224 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
ing was first called. Year after year witnessed the erection of more
stores along Main Street until Centre Street was reached; and about the
middle of the last century Campbell’s corner opposite the Campbell
house came into favour with the country folk and received a very large
share of their patronage. Beyond this point on Main Street all efforts
to establish a profitable business house of any kind have, with very few
exceptions, invariably failed.
This westward trend of trade between the years 1820 and 1855 had
a depressing effect upon the merchants of the east end, where Wm.
Miller, A. C. Davis, and a few others succeeded in keeping pace with
their rivals west of East Street. Clarkville struggled hard to hold its
grip upon its customers; but the once thriving suburb was doomed,
although at one time during this period there were no less than four
stores across the river kept respectively by B. Hane, Archie McNeil,
Donald McHenry, and Thomas Ramsay.
At the present time our county cheese board meets every Friday
during the factory season. We have our “Hog Days” for the shipment
of pigs, and our “Turkey Days” when car-loads of fowls are purchased
for the Christmas trade in our large cities. Our surplus horses, cattle,
and sheep are now purchased by buyers going through the country at
irregular intervals to suit their own convenience; but about seventy-five
years ago there came into existence what was known as the “Fair
Days,’ when a general mart for the disposal of all such produce was
held on the first Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the months of
March, June, September, and December. These Fairs were established
by Royal Proclamation, and were looked forward to by both the country
and townspeople as very important events. The streets were thronged
upon these days with thousands of people from all parts of the county,
who exchanged their stock and other produce for the ready cash of the
drovers and buyers from different parts of the province. Refreshment
booths, hucksters, and even Punch and Judy Shows were much in evi-
dence, and the hotels and merchants reaped a rich harvest from the
crowds.
When first inaugurated they were semi-annual, being held in March
and September, but met with such favour, both from the farmers and
the villagers, that later on they were held every three months. For
weeks before the appointed time hand-bills were scattered throughout
the county. One of these notices, about fifteen inches square printed in
heavy type and bearing date February 15th, 1841, now lying before the
writer, reads as follows: “The Napanee half-yearly Mart or Fair will be
holden at said place on the first Tuesday in March next (being the 2nd
ARCHIBALD MCNEIL RESIDENCE, CLARKVILLE.
ALLAN MACPHERSON RESIDENCE, NAPANEE.
oper ©
eet
__ of our village, were quite elated by the arrival of our long expected fire-
_ engine purchased from Messrs. Perry and Co., Montreal. It is quite a
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 225
i
of the month) and two following days, when every description of cattle
will be offered for sale; and when cash will be paid for all sorts of grain.
Farmers and others will find it to their interest to support an establish-
ment which has already proved so beneficial to the country at large and
to the District in particular.” With the advent of the railways, the gen-
eral improvement in shipping facilities, and the changes in the methods
of dealing in these commodities, the “Fair” has long since become a
thing of the past.
In 1852 Napanee was made a police village, whereby three trustees
were permitted to spend, for purely local purposes, a certain portion of
the taxes levied upon the property within its limits; but in other respects
it remained a part of the township of Richmond and was under the jur-
isdiction of the township council. In 1855 it rose to the dignity of an
incorporated village and the first council was constituted as follows:
John Benson, reeve; Geo. H. Davy, Donald Macpherson, Robert Esson,
and Abraham Fraser, councillors.
On July 18th, 1855, at a public meeting called for the purpose of
considering the propriety of building a market house and town-hall, a
series of resolutions were carried favouring the project. The question
of purchasing a fire-engine was also discussed, and a resolution recom-
mending the council to take immediate steps to secure one was carried.
The council promptly submitted a by-law for raising £1,200 upon the
debentures of the village, £1,000 for the market house and £200 for the
fire-engine. The by-law was carried, the engine purchased, and the con-
tract let for the building now standing in the market square; but not
without a spirited correspondence in the local press as to the propriety
of expending so much money upon what was styled by one correspondent
a useless ornament. One of the leading business men went so far in his
criticism of the faulty construction of the roof as to prophesy that it
would collapse within five years’ time. The original resolution of the
ratepayers’ meeting called for a stone building; but the village fathers
in their wisdom chose brick instead. The lower story was given over to
butchers’ stalls and accommodation for the country folk bringing their
products to market, and the upper story for a public hall, as at present
arranged.
The fire-engine created quite a sensation in the village as one might
infer from the following editorial which appeared in the Reformer of
January 23rd, 1856: “On Thursday last our village, or at least the boys
oA ae . F
small affair indeed, but perhaps will serve us for some time to come.
‘tenia “a
¢
4
oid 's
=}, a Pre ad Ma. , '
NN ML reir) Wh ky OF
Baarike ir
226 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“About four o’clock p.m. she was brought out for the purpose of
testing her merits and halted in front of Mr. Shaw’s Hotel, where the
water flew briskly, to the great amusement of many who for the first
time beheld a fire-engine in operation. A few hip, hip, hurras, and pro-
bably a few toasts drank, and a march up street ended the afternoon’s
amusement, when she was laid up for a further test at some future
period when necessity called.
“Perhaps the purchasers are well pleased with their bargain and do
not consider they have paid too much for the whistle! But let us ask a
few questions. Considering the size of the engine does not $700 look
large for it? The hose is'a separate thing, we understand, for which is
paid only four shillings a foot, two hundred feet then, the quantity
required, would be worth $160. Besides a hose-cart, the price of which
cannot be less than $40, so that with other appurtenances, hooks, ladders,
etc., Our engine will cost considerable money, probably upwards of a
thousand dollars, does this not look large? Perhaps not, we do not wish
to be the first to complain.”
The event of the year, however, was the laying the corner-stone of
the town-hall, which took place on June 11th, 1856. Programmes of the
procession and order of proceedings were scattered broadcast through-
out the county, announcing most elaborate preparations for the “auspi-
cious occasion.” At the appointed hour the various bodies and indivi-
duals to take part in the event were marshalled in order, two and two, Ne
on Dundas Street. First in order was the Napanee Sax-horn Band, fol- :
lowed by “a body of constables with their batons,” then came the dif- iE
ferent organizations of the county: municipal officers, professional gen-
tlemen, school children, and citizens generally. So complete were the
arrangements for the grand parade that no one appears to have been
omitted; and if all who were invited to take part responded to the call —
of the grand marshall, there would have been no one left but the women i :
and babies to line the streets as the procession marched to the market :
square, where the officers and members of Union Lodge with their visit-
ing brethren, who brought up the rear, were to perform the solemn cere-
mony of laying well and truly the huge block of limestone which still
supports the south-east corner of the building. Then followed the
speeches of the orators of the day; after which the procession was re-
formed and marched along Bridge and Dundas Streets to Shaw’s Hotel,
where they dispersed. ig
As we have already said, the question of the separation of the coun-
ties was agitated for years before it was brought about, and quite natur- —
ally there arose out of it the question of the location of the county ©
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 227
town. Newburgh, Bath, and Napanee all aspired to the honour, and
each presented many good and sufficient reasons for its claim. The
Index espoused the cause of Newburgh, while the Standard and Re-
former scoffed at the pretensions of both the other villages. Bath had no
champion in the press and did not long continue in the race.
The strife between the other two contestants was prolonged and
acrimonious ; and an estimate of the spirit in which the warfare of words
was waged may be formed from the following editorial which appeared
in the Reformer of February 27th, 1856: “The Index is somewhat sur-
prised to see the apathy of the Napanee journals on the question of the
t late meeting of the reeves and deputy-reeves of Lennox and Addington
to decide on the propriety of a separation of the above named counties
from Frontenac. After quoting the notice of the meeting from the
; Standard the editor remarks that the Reformer was judiciously silent,
which is very true as regards our silence, but to the word judiciously we
beg to ask an exception.
- “The drive of business at that time was such as to prevent our
being in attendance at the meeting, consequently no notice was taken of
} it; but should we have noticed it, the purport of our remarks would
3 not have varied materially from that of our cotemporary. ‘The meeting
was held in the presence of the authorities, the motion was put and
unanimously carried. The Jndex asks ‘why were not the yeas and nays on
the question given’—simply because there was no negation offered—a
nf very plausible reason, in our humble opinion. He further informs us
4 that “Theologians say that hope is made up of expectation and desire’
and that ‘our cotemporary hopes for a separation of the counties,’ and so
do we hope for it in the fullest acceptation of the term, and our next
February meeting we trust, will grant us the decision in the right way.
Hear what he says again: ‘If Addington consents to the separation she
will see to it that she has the county town situated within her own limits,’
, or words to that effect.
“We would ask in the name of wonder, providing the separation be
ratified, where would the county town be situated? Certainly our cotem-
porary cannot imagine for a moment, that the inhabitants of these
counties would consent that Rogue’s Hollow should be thus honoured!
And yet from his language that would be inferred. Mighty Moses!
How some folks aspire! It reminds us of a fable. How preposterous
the idea.
| a “In way of consolation to our friend of Newburgh, we cannot blame
him in striving to uphold the interests of his darling village, for it is
_ natural so to do; but that must be considered a very poor pretext indeed
cE
Oe NEM OT Ee FEO TT RT
1884-5 Wilder Joy — 1897 Dr. G. C. T. Ward
We) “Soe? Se 2 ae ee A's
4 ‘ i ‘
SS ee,
3 . = an ae
if
228 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
for asserting it to be the proper place for the county town. Perhaps
there is not an individual residing three miles on this side of that place
who has an occasion to visit the ambitious village twice a year, and
probably very many who live in the western part of Camden much
oftener visit Napanee than they do Newburgh—doing so with much
greater ease. Newburgh’s advantage as a market is very inferior, which
fact is easily substantiated. On the contrary our advantages are, or soon
will be, in that respect all that can be desired, showing superabundant
advantages over our aspiring meighbours. This fact is so well estab-
lished that it needs no controversy, and all that may be said by our
cotemporary hereafter cannot, in any way, affect these verities. A
thing once substantiated by self-evident truths cannot be refuted. Our
neighbour, therefore, may as well rest content with his present position,
for we predict he will never see the day when Newburgh will be honoured
as a county town.”
The solution of the vexed question has been described in another
chapter.
There was something incongruous in the village of Napanee having
been proclaimed a county town, and the only remedy was to have the
corporation raised one step higher in the municipal scale. It had passed
from a hamlet to a police village, from a police village to an incorporated
village, and on June 30th, 1864, an Act of the Legislative Council and -
Assembly of Canada received the royal assent, whereby the village
became an incorporated town from December Ist of the same year. At
the ensuing election B. C. Davy was elected its first mayor, John
Stevenson, reeve, William McGillivray, deputy-reeve, and Wm. Miller,
John T. Grange, S. McL. Detlor, M. T. Rogers, John Gibbard, John
Herring, and H. T. Forward, councillors. The following is a list of
Mayors from the date of incorporation to the present time:
Mayors of Napanee.
‘
1865-6-7 Benjamin C. Davy 1886 Uriah Wilson
1868-9 1870-1 James C. Huffman 1887-8 Dr. H. L. Cook
1872-3-4 Amzi L. Morden 1889-90 Thomas G. Carscallen
1875-6-7 Walter 5. Wiliiams 1891 Jehial Aylesworth |
1878 Archibald McNeil 1892 Edward S. Lapum
1879 Charles James 1893 Raymond A. Leonard
1880-1 Alexander Henry 1894-5 Charles Stevens
1882-3 Charles James 1896 John Carsom
i
aie
' > id
. in oe ee
u P
.
Pe en
er a4
Siig inl,
pee
F % : - =
— " _ —
Ab tg mie en — - = =
Jatin ) fil WHTIR PH tog I aR es Te aves har ire eaanabaneny
anced
Lime Vie 2
ee
ay
_
oe ant. Tere. oti
or rene neg
‘
‘
DAVID ROBLIN.
BENJAMIN C. DAVY.
JOHN HERRING.
JOHN GIBBARD.
Se oS OR | i ee! ny, ~ ah = -.° ‘ti i j
r
.
.
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 229
1898 Thomas Jamieson 1905-6 John Lowry
1899 Thomas D. Pruyn 1907-8 Herman Ming
* 1900-1 Thomas G. Carscallen 1909-10 T. W. Simpson, M.D.’
1902 George F. Ruttan 1911 Amos S. Kimmerly
1903 John P. Vrooman 1912 Wm. T. Waller
1904 Marshall S. Madole 1913 W. A. Steacy
For many years, especially since the opening of the driving park
just west of the town, Napanee has been the centre of attraction on
Dominion Day; and the leading feature of these celebrations has been
the testing of the speed of each and every horse in the county and of
some from a distance that had any pretensions as racers.
July Ist, 1867, the natal day of Confederation, was advertised to be
a gala day in our county town, to which the country people came in
crowds to hear the Royal Proclamation and witness a grand military dis- ‘
play. A platform was erected on the north side of the town-hall where
the ceremony was to take place. The Forty-Eighth Battalion was repre-
sented by two companies from the town, one from Odessa, one from
Ernesttown, and another from Amherst Island, and the Napanee Artil-
lery Company turned out to swell the numbers of the soldiery. The
merchants were supposed to observe the holiday; but most of them
remained behind their counters to take full advantage of the crowd of
customers passing their doors, and evidently felt that they had answered
all the claims upon their loyalty by displaying before their places of
business all the faded flags and bunting they could muster.
7 | At eleven o'clock, the appointed hour, the Mayor, Mr. B. C. Davy,
~ read the Proclamation before the assembled crowd and the militia, who
had been commanded to stand at ease but appeared to be very uncom-
fortable in executing the order. Upon the platform were the municipal
officers of the county, several clergymen, and no less than five prospec-
tive candidates for the coming election. These aspirants for parlia-
mentary honours took advantage of the occasion and, after a few well
chosen remarks as to the future of our great Dominion, each occupant of
the rostrum in turn advanced many cogent reasons why the free and inde-
pendent electors of Lennox and Addington should commit to him the
welfare of the riding. The crowd good-naturedly endured the speeches
____ thus inflicted upon them and, after giving three cheers for Her Majesty
and the new Confederation, dispersed to the several hotels and restaur-
ants to indulge in what was to most of them a more pleasing pastime.
q After dinner the volunteers re-formed on the market square and went
through some evolutions in what was said to be very good style.
0
nae a eee er
‘
Oe eee
LiL.
<3 ?
> yo
230 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The present Napanee Band had not been organized, and such
attempts at entertainment as were furnished by the few instruments col-
lected for the day did not render the occasion more enjoyable to those
who were musically inclined. Napanee has made a decided advance
since that day in the entertainment provided for its visitors on July Ist.
The tame and tiresome proceedings of this the first day of Confederation
would appear more ludicrous still if compared with Dominion Day, 1912,
when no less than 10,000 visitors poured into Napanee to witness an
aeroplane flight, horse races, and baseball matches in our beautiful park,
to say nothing of the circus which also pitched its tents within the gates.
Mr. Benjamin C. Davy, the first Mayor of Napanee, was born at
Bath in 1829. He was educated at the Bath Academy and after studying
law with Sir John A. Macdonald was called to the bar in 1850. He
began the practice of his profession in his native village, where he
remained but a few months, and then opened an office in Kingston,
which he gave up in a short time, and came to Napanee, where he con-
tinued to practise his profession until 1872. His office was in the frame
building west of the Campbell house, and was the favourite rendezvous
of a group of congenial townsmen among whom Napanee’s first lawyer
was a leader in all matters affecting the welfare of the municipality.
When Manitoba was attracting the attention of the eastern provinces
in 1872, he went west with a view of settling there, but ill health com-
pelled ‘him to return. He died in February, 1874, from an attack of
pneumonia contracted through exposure in the election campaign of Sir
John A. Macdonald, for whom he entertained such respect that he
neglected his own comfort and health in his efforts to secure his return.
He was popular among all classes, and was regarded by the profession
as one of the leading lawyers of this District.
Mr. Davy enjoyed a monopoly of his profession until 1856, when
Mr, John MacMillan opened an office, but did not continue long in prac~
tice in Napanee. George A. Hine’s name appears among the legal cards
in 1861, and Wm. H. Wilkison was called to the bar in the same year
and gave the first serious opposition Mr. Davy had to encounter. After
the separation of the counties and the establishment of the courts in the
new county there was an influx of the gentlemen of the robe, and by
1866 there were no less than six law offices in the town: Thomas Scott,
E. J. Hooper, W. S. Williams, W. H. Wilkison, O’Reilly & Macnamara,
and Davy & Holmsted. Mr. Holmsted, Senior Registrar of the High -
Court of Justice at Osgoode Hall, is the author of several standard
works upon Ontario practice.
ee he ee ee
ted tele eee) ho
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 281
James O’Reilly, Q.C., of Kingston, was a celebrated lawyer and
obtained much of his business from this county. The opening of so many
z offices in Napanee had a marked effect upon his retainers from this
| section. To retain his connection with his old clients he opened an office
in the county town and placed his junior partner, M. J. Macnamara in
charge. During the next ten years another group of legal gentlemen
Ri were soliciting the patronage of a suffering public. Among the number
re. were W. A. Reeve, F. McKenzie, W. R. Chamberlain, Stephen Gibson,
D. H. Preston, A. L. Morden, Fred W. Campbell, Thos. J. Robertson,
il W. E. Lees, H. M. Deroche, and Cartwright & Cartwright. The last ‘-
mentioned firm was composed of John R. Cartwright, at present Deputy
Attorney-General of Ontario, and James S. Cartwright, Master in
Chambers at Osgoode Hall.
To treat of the doctors of Napanee in a fitting manner and give to
ri each a space commensurate with the place he filled in the lives of the old
families would require many chapters. We have but to mention such
names as Chamberlain, Ash, Allen, Trousdale, Carey, Grange, Clare,
Bristol, and Ruttan to the old residents to awaken tender memories of
the past and bring forth scores of interesting experiences well worth
recording. The physician is so closely indentified with the inner life of
his patients and is the chief actor in so many critical events fraught with
joy and sorrow upon which hang the very life and death of those who
: place themselves in his hands, that he is more than a professional atten-
; dant. His duties do not end with the treatment of ailments but, apart
; from his strictly professional services, he has frequently thrust upon him
the awful responsibility of confidential adviser upon the most delicate
questions affecting the family relationship, and, when the angel of death
j is hovering near, a more sacred duty still. He must be patient, alert,
tender, and courageous,—qualities that do not always go hand in hand.
af Napanee has been highly favoured in this respect; and in the long role
+ of skilled physicians who have practised in the town and surrounding
F country few indeed have not reached this high standard. Even at the
risk of resting under the charge of an unjust discrimination I will single
out for comment only three, as representative types, knowing full well
that I am doing an injustice to many others.
Dr. James Allen was a graduate of Edinburgh University, came to
Canada shortly after graduation, and settled first, about 1839, at Conway,
7 where he practised his profession for two years. He then moved to
Napanee and lived on.the corner of Bridge and East Streets, where now
__-_—_—_—__— stands the brick residence of Mr. F. W. Smith. He had an office and
drug store on the south side of Dundas Street near the site of Waller’s
77) UE A ee
_ 282 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
store. He was ranked as a skilful doctor, but the life of the pioneer
possessed a charm for him; and about the year 1844 he purchased a farm
near Lime Lake, sold out his store and practice to Dr. Shirley, and
retired to his estate to do battle with the forest. He there became the
leading man of the settlement and raised a large family of eight boys
and five girls. He abandoned his profession as a calling, but went to the
relief of his scattered neighbours when urged to do so, and invariably
declined to accept a fee for the services rendered. Nearly all the Allens,
and there are many of them in the northern part of Hungerford and
Richmond, are his descendants. At a birthday party given in his honour
nearly fifty years ago no less than sixty of his grandchildren assembled
under one roof to pay their respects to the old gentleman.
Dr. Oronhyateka never acquired fame in his profession; but no
Canadian physician ever acquired greater international notoriety than
he. He was a bright young Indian fifty-three years ago; and upon the
occasion of the visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada in 1860 he was
chosen as the representative of the Mohawk band to present an address
to His Royal Highness, who was so impressed with his intelligence and
manly bearing that he persuaded him to accept a royal bounty,—a course
in medicine at Oxford. In due course he returned to Canada and in
August, 1866, began his professional career in Napanee. He had an
office in the Cartwright Block and built the red brick residence on the
crest of Roblin’s Hill. He could not entirely free himself from his
natural adherence to the cures of the red man and in his professional
card announced his faith in the herbs prescribed by his forefathers. He
remained but a few years in Napanee, when he removed to Western
Ontario, and finally settled in London, where he became indentified with
the Independent Order of Foresters, of which Society he became the
High Chief Ranger, and as such acquired a world-wide reputation.
The typical family doctor of the old school was the late Dr. Allan
Ruttan. He was a son of Peter W. Ruttan who claimed to be the first
white child born in the township of Adolphustown. His grandfather,
William Ruttan, (spelled Rattan in the original records) was enrolled
in the old U. E. L. list still preserved in the Crown Lands Department at
Toronto, and was assigned lot number eighteen in the first concession of
Adolphustown. |
The story is told of William Ruttan that he was very fond of music
and dearly loved, after a hard day’s work, to take down his old violin
and entertain the family with a few selections. This same instrument
had helped to shorten many a tiresome day in the voyage around the f
Gulf and during the winter’s sojourn of the Loyalists at Sorel. He was
ios
<b ae. ira + tire as Pte Rea 1 Cae eae
he
setieanatrtade wiad watert@ iar r0u8 mimeo
| Eee ‘ ‘ ce baad Po a p=)
+
y , poy
eases Maly se
erway
THE GROWTH OF NAPANEE 233
a follower of Rev. William Losee, in fact one of the largest contributors
to the building fund of the old Methodist chapel on Hay Bay. Losee
could not tolerate a violin, and remonstrated with Brother William upon
his worldliness in being so familiar with one of Satan’s contrivances for
luring the faithful from the fold. Ruttan could not see eye to eye with
his spiritual adviser upon this point; but the preacher was firm, so he
finally yielded, and proposed to give it away to a negro who had long
desired to possess one.. This was also objected to upon high moral
- grounds, so to appease the missionary the dear old fiddle was thrust into
the fireplace and consumed to ashes,
Dr. Ruttan was born in Adolphustown in 1826, and after passing
through the common school of the township took a preparatory course
of instruction at the Picton Grammar School, and graduated from
McGill University in 1852. Immediately after graduation he commenced
to practise in Newburgh and in a short time acquired an enviable reputa-
tion. When the final vote was taken fixing Napanee as the county town
he evidently felt that the chances of Newburgh growing into a populous
centre were not very encouraging, so he removed to Picton, greatly to
the regret of the citizens of the village and surrounding country, who,
upon his departure, presented him with a silver service and an address
testifying the esteem in which he was held by all classes in the com-
munity.
‘He remained in Picton less than two years, when he returned to
Napanee and purchased the only three-story residence in the town,—
the old brick dwelling-house on the market square, where he lived until
a few years before his death, when he removed to the dwelling on
Bridge Street now occupied by his son, Mr. G. F. Ruttan, K.C. He died
in 1898, universally respected by all who knew him. He was a tall, power-
ful man with a strong face indicating great force of character, yet in
the sick room he was gentle, and had a great affection for his patients.
He was often heard to remark that he would be unable to operate upon
a child if he allowed himself to pause and think of the appealing cries of
the little sufferer. He possessed great originality, and in treating many
of his difficult surgical cases devised and made his own mechanical appli-
ances. In his conversation he was plain and blunt, with a touch of
humour that removed the sting of his sometimes caustic comments ; and
between him and his patients there was a bond of sympathy stronger than
that arising simply from the confidence in his medical skill, For many
years he was the representative of this District on the Ontario Medical
- Council, and by this connection acquired more than a local reputation
as one of the leading physicians of the province.
a7) @
234 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XIV
/ REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE
The late Mr. Thomas H. Waller, until a few months ago one of the |
oldest business men of the town and gifted with a remarkable memory
for details of places, names, and events, a few weeks before his death
furnished the writer with the following information regarding the
business section of Napanee as it appeared sixty years ago. In 1848
Mr. Waller, then a lad of fourteen years, was apprenticed to one Wm.
Parish with whom he learned the tin-smith trade. This he followed ©
successfully until his death, gradually enlarging his business by the addi-
tion of.a plumbing and steam-fitting plant and a hardware store carried
on by himself and his son, William T. Waller.
The present generation would not recognize the main street of
Napanee of sixty years ago as described by this old resident. Most of
the buildings were frame, one and one-half or two stories high and, as
a general rule, the upper portion was used as the residence of the pro-
prietor of the business carried on on the ground floor. One of the most
prominent men of the town was Squire Alexander Campbell, who con-
ducted a general store on the south-west corner of Dundas and Centre
Streets, in a two-story frame building with a verandah extending along
the entire frontage on both streets. This served as a shelter for some
of the coarser wares exposed for sale and as an excellent loafing place,
where the idlé used to congregate to gossip or wile away the hours of
waiting for the stage-coach with the mail, as the post-office was kept in
the rear of the building, and could be reached either by going through
the store or by a rear entrance from the verandah on Centre Street. The
Squire prided himself on a well kept garden, which extended from the
rear of the store to Mill Street. On the erection of the present brick
building, known as the McMullen Block, the frame store was moved e
the middle of the block, where it still remains.
Just across the street on the north side stood an old frame tavern _
which Mr. Campbell purchased, tore down, and built the Campbell House —
upon the site. He also built the handsome stone residence across the —
river, and in front of it a substantial stone wall above what is still known —
as Campbell’s Rocks. Here, in a high fenced inclosure, he kept for
a herd of deer captured in the coher. part of the pee ie en
REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE 235
second postmaster of Napanee, following Allan Macpherson, and was
succeeded by the late Gilbert Bogart, who in turn was followed by the
ae present postmaster, Dr. R. A. Leonard.
al West of the old Campbell store was a frame building in which for
4 a time was published the Napanee Standard ; next to it was another two-
+ story frame building, part of which was recently replaced by the brick
store of Mr. John Ellison. For some time the upper story of this build-
b | ing was used as a school-room and the lower part as a tin-shop and ware-
; room by the late John Herring, who made a specialty of stoves and
: ploughs and had his workshop and foundry on Mill Street in the old
building afterwards used as a soap factory and later still as an eva-
porator. He afterwards was extensively engaged in the manufacture of
agricultural implements and employed a large number of workmen in
the factory built by him next door to the Gibbard factory in East Ward.
He re-organized the Napanee Gas Company, which in other hands had
proved a failure, and for many years enjoyed the monopoly of supply-
ing the municipality and its citizens with gas from his plant. Mr. Herr-
ing was a man of great originality, enterprise, and perseverance. He
amassed a small fortune in the paper business at Napanee Mills (Strath-
cona) and sold out for a good round sum when the industry was upon
a good paying basis, but, unfortunately, embarked in a losing venture
which swallowed up nearly all the savings of a lifetime. He built a glass
: factory nearly opposite the Grand Trunk Depot, equipped it with all the
modern appliances, and imported German glass-blowers and workmen
from the United States; but ‘conditions were not favourable for its suc-
cessful operation and its founder sustained a loss which would have
crushed a man of ordinary energy and resource.
West of the Campbell House, where F. W. Vandusen’s harness shop
now is, Mr. Benjamin C. Davy had his law office, and the rest of the
block through to Robert Street was occupied by a number of low, ram-
bling, frame houses. In the rear of one was a bowling-alley, in another
was McBean’s cabinet shop, in which a member of the family still resides,
and in a third one Tom Hussy, the hatter, manufactured plug hats
adapted to all degrees and stations in life.
he On the north-east corner of Centre and Dundas Streets, now occu-
pied by the Robinson Company, there stood a small frame building where
: the father of the late George Mills had a harness shop. Just east of it
in another frame building the old gentleman lived. The next building :
» was also a frame one in which a cobbler named Lamphier lived, and
made, and mended boots; next to him was Conger’s dry goods store.
About the middle of the block was Robert Esson’s general store, and
»
Er rio yar) eee
236 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
adjoining him was a carriage factory and blacksmith shop. Every block
in what is now the business part of the town appears to have had its
tavern or drinking place and this one was no exception, as next door
east of the carriage shop was Andrew Stevenson’s saloon. Next door
east was Gleeson’s saloon, and near the corner, where Chinneck’s jewel- -
lery store now is, was a drug store kept by J. C. Huffman and Dr. David
Ash. On the corner, where Wallace’s drug store is now, a man named
Morris had a tailor shop; and when Grange was burned out in 1857 on
the other side of the street he moved across to the premises occupied by
the tailor, and in 1860 built the brick building on the corner which has
ever since been occupied as a drug store and by some one or more mem-
bers of the Grange family until Mr. T. B. Wallace took possession ten
years ago.
On the south-east corner of Centre and Dundas Streets, now occu-
pied by Mr. Fred L. Hooper, the druggist, stood a low frame building,
the west part of which was a shoemaker’s shop conducted by Benoni
Briggs, and the eastern part a grocery kept by a man named Emburty. |
A little later George Sexsmith had a tailor shop on the corner, and east
of the store occupied by Embury was another building which had many
short term tenants, but eventually was used as a grocery and dry goods
store by George Quackenbush, who, in order to assure his doubting
friends that he was in business in earnest, painted a huge sign across the
front of the premises which read, “An Established Fact, George A.
Quackenbush.”
The stone bakery was turning out bread, buns, and sweetmeats from
the ovens of Edward H. Dickens; and in the next store, occupied by Mr.
Waller, the late Thomas H. Waller was serving his apprenticeship under
William Parish. All the other buildings in the block through to John |
Street were frame; and among the various occupants during the decade
following 1850 Thomas Trimble had a butcher shop in partnership with ;
a man named Watts, Mrs. Scales, mother-in-law of J. T. Grange, had a
small grocery, and Mrs. Millburn created dreams in the millinery line.
Wm. McMullen dealt in dry goods and groceries, and next door was
Grange’s drug store. Over the drug store was the home of the Napanee
Standard which was burned out at the same time as the drug store. On
the Merchants Bank corner James Blewett had a store, over which was
a barber shop conducted by a coloured man named Huffman. a
Crossing John Street to the site of the Albert Block we would saad
seen a rickety old frame building tenanted by Wm. Fell, a baker
Davis Fraser, a tailor. To maintain the average of ee E
were two in the centre of the block, one a sao
ref nme at at i aaa econ
Sao,
1a
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. WILLIAM GRANGE.
ALLAN MACPHERSON. GEORGE H. DETLOR.
ee A aes ad 8
q wright block is; and when the Granges rebuilt the corner of Dundas and
’ 7 e- 0 ! y - ‘ . /
REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE 237
was Shorey’s hotel, and over the sheds of the hotel was a hall used as a
court room before the division of the counties. On the other side of the
hotel Henry Douglas, who had learned his trade with John Herring, had
a tin-shop. The general store of H. T. Forward was near the corner,
where John Benson, one of the most public-spirited men of his day, also
kept a store in the building now standing upon that lot.
The other side of the street would have presented as great a con-
trast. Old Dan Pringle, as every one called him, catered to the wants of
man and beast at one end of the block where the Smith building now is,
and at the other end, upon the site of the Rennie Block, George Davy
had a store. Davy bought the Pringle corner, the old Tichborne House,
and managed it himself for many years. East of it was one of the few
brick buildings on the street, in which John S. Edgar had a drug store.
It was about this time that Henry Douglas gave up the tin-shop across
the street and commenced business as a general store-keeper in the old
frame building which he continued to occupy to the time of his death.
The old stone building is an ancient landmark. In one part John Blew-
ett had a general store, over which he lived; in the other half was Joseph
Gunsolus’ saloon. Between the saloon and the corner the mother of Mr.
Uriah Wilson had a small grocery, and later on William Lamphier had a
shoe store. The Brisco House was then a small two-story brick build-
ing which has since been enlarged; and the opposite side of the street
presented a very sorry appearance with a row of tumble-down build-
ings and lumber yards.
While East Ward was losing its grip upon the business of the town
there were still some substantial firms in the old ward with a large annual
turnover. The two-story brick building on the east side of East Street
was not a part of the Brisco House property until recent years; but was
known as the Warner Block and extended through to Dundas Street, the
lower story on the corner being a part of the Warner property. In this
corner was situated the store of Marshall Roblin. In a frame building
east of the present alley way was Meagher’s flour and feed store. Next
door east was William Miller’s store, and adjoining this was John Ste-
venson’s store. On the same side of the street was a grocery kept by a
man named Foster, and Wales’ corner was occupied by a bowling-
alley. On the corner of Adelphi and Dundas Streets was the general
store of Alexander Davis. He afterwards built and moved into the
brick building east of the Henry Block, now used as an auditorium for
a moving picture theatre.
Two frame buildings occupied a part of the corner where the Cart-
fee
ee
238 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
John Streets J. C. Huffman moved down to the corner of East Street
where the Daly Tea Company’s offices are now. He controlled a goodly
portion of the drug trade, and in his palmy days built the large brick
dwelling now owned by H. M. Deroche. When the Cartwright Block was
built these two frame buildings were moved eastward and are still stand-
ing at the foot of Adelphi Street, but their order is reversed. One was
for many years used by the late James Perry as a woollen-mills office;
but upon the west side of it can still be deciphered the Huffman drug
store sign, painted there fifty years ago. The other frame building next
door to the Gibbard Companty’s finishing room stood near the present site
of Boyle & Son’s store and was the first store occupied by Boyle &
Wright as a hardware store. In the same locality Rennie made a spe-
cialty of penitentiary boots, and further east in the same block were the
dry goods stores of W. H. Fralick and Wm. V. Detlor. R. V. Powell
had a tin-shop where Normile’s warerooms are; and where now stands
the small brick blacksmith shop was one of the busiest hives in the vil-
lage, in fact the most historic store of Napanee, that of Allan Macpher-
son. There can still be seen beneath the floor of the shop the old cellar
in which was stored the surplus stock of whisky. This was once the
hub of Napanee, for Macpherson’s industries were all directed from his
store, in which was also kept the first post-office.
Perhaps no part of the town has undergone a greater change than
the river front. From the bend in the river just above Light’s dock,
extending all along the northern bank up to the falls, there stood piles
of lumber to the height of fifteen feet or more. This lumber was the
product of the mills farther up and was hauled to the river’s bank by
the teams, summer and winter, to be shipped to its destination. It was
a common occurrence to see four or five schooners loading at a time;
and the merry call of the workmen and deck-hands could be heard from
sunrise to evening, above the clatter of the boards and planks, where
now a deathlike stillness reigns, broken only by the occasional put-put of
the motor boats.
Where Mr. Waller’s residence now stands on Bridge Street there
was a clearing; but the rest of that part of the town was covered with
trees from which the choicest timber had been cut. All that area south
of the park and north of the Deseronto Road found its natural drainage
outlet through the depression between Dundas and Bridge Streets, and
far into the summer a pond of stagnant water was found at the lowest
point in the vicinity of the residence of Mr. T. G. Carscallen. Unsuited
as it was for the purpose, it was a favourite bathing-place for the youth
of the town; and many a time did young Waller and his companions,
after a hard day’s work, sect at this pond for their evening swim.
i Se E
REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE 239
The woods about the site of West Ward School were a famous
pigeon rookery, where the wild birds came in flocks towards evening and
roosted in such numbers in the trees that frequently the branches gave
way under their weight. Mr. Waller recalls having frequently gone in
the night, with an old musket, and in a few minutes secured as many as
he could carry home in a bag slung over his shoulder. Another method
in common practice for capturing the pigeons in the open was by means
of a net forty or fifty feet long by twenty or more in width. The net
would be held in place about three or four feet above the ground by
means of small posts placed at regular intervals and controlled by the
operator by a series of cords. A small quantity of grain would be scat-
tered upon the ground under the net. As a flock of wild pigeons ap-
proached, a tame decoy, a stool pigeon, trained to lure them to their fate,
would fly upwards and conduct them to the tempting grain; and as they
began to feed under the net the operator in ambush would pull the cords,
the posts would tumble over, and the net drop upon the unsuspecting
birds, who thrust their heads through the meshes where they were
securely held until their necks were wrung by the heartless hunter. Mr.
Waller remembered an occasion when the late O. T. Pruyn, former sher-
iff of this county, captured two hundred and fifty pigeons in this manner
at one haul.
Thus to reconstruct from one’s memory the entire business portion
of a town as it appeared sixty: years ago is no slight task, as will be
apparent to any one attempting to recall the various occupants of a row
of buildings ten or twenty years ago. The foregoing statement, based
upon the information furnished by Mr. Waller, has been submitted to
other old residents, who made but few alterations in the original. These
slight changes have been adopted after being verified from other sources.
That part of Dundas Street near the foot of Adelphi has never lost
its standing as an important business and manufacturing centre, for
when the Macpherson interests began to decline the Gibbard industry
began to take root. It was a lucky accident that gave the Gibbards to
Napanee. John Gibbard, who at the time of his death was justly entitled
to be styled “Napanee’s Grand Old Man,” was born near Wilton in 1812.
His father, William Gibbard, was a carpenter and mill-wright who
erected more mills in this and the adjoining county of Prince Edward
than any other one man. Among others he built a saw-mill and a grist-
mill near Thompsonville at the first water-power that was used on the
river north of Napanee. John learned his trade with his father and
worked with him until he was twenty-four years of age, when he shoul-
dered his basket of tools and set out for Oswego. He walked to Cul-
- 240 t HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
bertson’s Wharf (Deseronto) where he expected to catch a boat to carry
him across the lake, but waited in vain for hours for the vessel to arrive.
Night was coming on and no boat was in sight, so he gathered up his
tools, returned to Napanee, secured a situation, and spent the rest of his
days in the town, which probably he would never have seen again but for
the belated vessel, which did not arrive in time to pick up the passenger
waiting impatiently upon the wharf.
He continued to work at his trade for many years, and assisted in
the erection of the Macpherson house east of the Newburgh Road and
the grist-mill on the other side of the river near the falls. Later on he
devoted himself to the manufacture of fanning-mills, and in 1860 leased
a mill on the canal, in which he turned out sashes, doors, and a few lines
of furniture. This factory was burned in 1864 but was rebuilt in 1868,
when his son, W. T. Gibbard, was taken into the business and the firm
of J. Gibbard & Son appeared.
In 1871 they abandoned all other lines and devoted themselves ex-
clusively to the manufacture of furniture; but just as the business had
become nicely established another destructive fire, in 1874, again reduced
factory, plant, and stock to ashes. Again it was rebuilt on a larger scale,
and for eighteen years the firm prospered and proved a boon to the town,
affording employment to a large number of workmen; but was once more
wiped out by fire in 1892. After this fire the Gibbard Furniture Com-
pany was organized, a new factory was built, the most modern machinery
installed, and business resumed with greatly increased facilities for meet-
ing the demands of the trade. Mr. W. T. Gibbard, the manager and
leading stockholder, relieved his aged father of his former responsibility
and proved a worthy successor. A few months ago the reins were handed
over to the sole male representative of the third generation of this branch
of the family, Mr. George Gibbard, who, following in the footsteps of
his ancestors, continues as manager of the leading industry of Napanee.
John Gibbard died in 1907 in the ninety-fifth year of his age, universally
respected by all who knew him and especially by the employees of the
industry he had established.
The following list of professional and business men of Napanee is
copied from the Canada Directory of 1851:
Allan, David, chemist and druggist Black, Rev. J.; Wesleyan
Bartels, James F., conveyancer Blewett, John, grocer
Bartels, George, carriage maker Briggs, Noel, shoemaker
Beeman, T., saddler Brown, Rev. M., Epis. Methodist — |
Benn, James, blacksmith Bruton, Charles, grocer
SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD AT NAPANEE, 1877.
NAPANEE SNOW-SHOE CLUB, 1885.
Back row—Left to right. James T. Loggie. Thomas Trimble. William C. Smith. George Napier.
John Roblin. W. A. Doxsee. Frank Jemmett. Dr. Harry Wray. C, Z. Perry.
Fred Blewett. Albert Empey.
Front row—Left to right. William Shannon. John W. Robinson. William Trimble.
Joseph Kirby. Joseph McAlister.
Campbell, Alex., postmaster
Carey, Dr. Francis V.
Chamberlain, Dr. Thomas
Chatterson, John, grocer
Chrysdall, John, lath factory
Clapp, G. S., land surveyor
Clark, Leonard, blacksmith
Clark, Andrew L., saw-mill
Close, Thos., carriage maker
Cooper, John, tailor
Cornell, George, innkeeper
Davey, Geo. H., general store
Detlor & Perry, general store
Dickens, Edmund, baker
Doney, Solomon, shoemaker
Easton, Robert, general store
Edgar, John, carriage maker
Fink, Hiram, blacksmith
Foot, Benjamin, tailor
Forward, H. T., general store
Fraser, Davis, tailor
George, F. J., general store
Georgen, T. W., general store
Greenleaf, G. D., printing-office
Gunn, William, general store
Halfpenny, Joseph, shoemaker
Hamilton, A., carriage maker
Hill, lath factory
Herring, John, foundry and tin-
shop
Huff, Thos., blacksmith
Huff, Eliakim, cooper
Huff, William, cooper
James & Peterson, general store
REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE
241
King, John, innkeeper
Lamb, Thos., general store
Lamphier, Wm., shoemaker
Lamphier, John, shoemaker
Lauder, Rev. W. B., Anglican
Macpherson, Donald, general store
McCulloch, James, tailor
McLaughlin, James, tailor
Mackay, A. B., Clerk Division
Court
Madden, S. S., tanner and shoe
maker
Martin, James, general store
Miller, George, saddler
Moray, Joseph, blacksmith
Napanee Bee, The, weekly paper
Parish, Wm., tin-smith
Perry, John W. Smith, cloth fac-
tory
Pringle, Daniel, hotel keeper
Rust, carding-mill :
Reynolds, Rev. Mr., Wesleyan
Schermerhorn, Asa, grocer
Shirley, Dr. Thomas
Shorey, Miles, hotel keeper
Stevenson, Andrew, grocer and
saloon
Storr, Edward, shoemaker
Templeton, Wm., tanner
Trom, James, saddler
Vine, David, grocer
Wilson & Co., general store
Wright, Wm., general store
An anonymous contributor to the S tandard gave the following pen
picture of Napanee in 1861: “Take your stand on Roblin’s Height and
look down upon Napanee, and even though you hail from the would-be
ambitious Newburgh, you will be forced to admit that its appearance is
really imposing. On its south-eastern side the waters of the Napanee
River, having cleared the rapids, flow softly around a semicircular bend
16
-:..
pa.
242 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
evidently intended by nature for the site of a large city; and as far as
the eye can reach a fine country for settlement stretches away back from
the town in every direction.
“The town itself presents the appearance of a circle of houses with
the Town-hall as a centre. It is a British town, being a beautiful mix-
ture of red brick blocks, whitewashed cottages, and blue-stone buildings,
with a few dirty, dingy, rickety structures which in the olden time went
by the name of houses, but ought now to be numbered amongst the
things that were. Near to the Town-hall you observe by far the most
conspicuous object in Napanee, a spire that might do credit to any city,
and at sight of which the shade of John Wesley would rejoice, could it
only be conjured up to behold it, for upon inquiry you discover that it
is another monument to his name, and to the name of a greater than
Wesley. Posterity will never blush at this deed of their fathers.
“A magnificent block next arrests the eye. It is the Campbell
House, to all appearance little inferior to the Astor House of New York.
But no Yankee lives there, for British colours float proudly over it. An-
other building south-east of the town-hall attracts the gaze. It is the
justly celebrated Grange’s Block, a beautiful ornament to our town, and
where business is piled en masse. A person may there have anything he
wishes for, cheap coffee and tea, cups and saucers to drink them out of;
clothes of all sorts, and soap to wash them with; furs to keep out the
cold, and physic to cure it; drabs and drugs for all weathers and dis-
eases ; a tooth extracted; a limb set; a lawsuit settled; or a book or news-
paper printed.
“Away on the western side of the town, on the rising ground, amid
dark pines, you behold the elegant mansion of the town reeve, John
Stevenson, Esq., one of the wealthiest of our citizens, and at our last
election no mean candidate for a seat in Parliament. The Canada Pres-
byterian Manse, a neat building of brick, stands close by. Had you a
glass in your hand, you might discover on the top of that stone struc-
ture on the north-west of the town a cross, for it is a Church which
belongs to Rome. The Church of England with its tower and turrets,
on the east side of the town, next catches the eye. Apart from the
business and bustle of our streets, it occupies the centre of God’s acre,
the sleeping ground of the dead, in venerable silence and solemnity a
house of the living God. A few lingering trees fringing the suburbs,
now contending alone with the breezes and the beasts, sing and sigh of
the waving forests passed away.
“But why tarry so long viewing Napanee from a distance when you
might, by leaping into one of the numerous conveyances continually
REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE 243
passing townward, soon be in its centre. We would ask the reader to do
so were it not that we wish to walk with him into town and view it
somewhat at leisure. Crossing the river by a wooden bridge with tim-
bers still sound although bearing the date of 1840, the stupendous arches
of the Grand Trunk Railway bridge excite your admiration; and as. you
stand gazing at its workmanship, a train of thirty cars shoots overhead,
proving that it is a structure of strength as well as of beauty.
“The bridges passed, the town at first sight presents no very inviting
aspect. Old dwarfish houses meet the eye, but they are not to be
despised; for as many a one does a large business in a little house, so
it is in some of these. Let us go along Dundas Street, taking a few
notes of anything noticeable by the way. The first building is the carriage
and sleigh factory of J. Rooney, who has a good display of cutters of
the newest styles. Passing what seems to be a watering-place for horses,
T. Close’s carriage factory stands surrounded with dismembered bodies
of carriages and sleighs scattered in sad confusion, after the rough and
tumble fashion of Bull’s Run. The means of repair, however, Mr.
Close says are close at hand. T. Mooney shoes horses and repairs guns
amid a range of dismal shanty-like things which the past age forgot to
take with it. Davis stands high as a haberdasher under a low veran-
dah. O’Byrne’s big blue boot tells that its master has a good footing
near.
“At A. B. Dunning’s door winter clothing is piled up, with a red or
green sash waving overhead. Allingham’s Cabinet and Furniture store
supplies the town with sideboards and sofas on the shortest notice; and
near by the village artist challenges competition in the art of realizing
the poet’s wish, enabling people from the country ‘to see themselves
as others see them.’ With the sun for his senior partner, he has, gen-
erally speaking, bright prospects. Foster’s window displays hoops and
skirts, hats and feathers. Miller, his neighbour, sells candlesticks, ropes,
and carpets; and Rogers disposes of a considerable quantity of hardware,
and boots, and shoes to those who put up at Fletcher’s Hotel. Huffman
disposes of drugs, Rennie of penitentiary boots and shoes, and H. Doug-
las of stove pipes, pails, and brooms. At Harrington’s new store you
may have cheap sugar, at L. Doney’s smoked hams, and you may fill your-
self drunk at Davy’s or the Lennox Hotel, places of great resort on Fair
days, and in the neighbourhood of which fights and other convivial
sports are often exhibited.
“The Phelan lump sugar, suspended in the street, and the Parish
kettle of uncommon size, speak as eloquently for their possessors as the
_ wooden bust decked with artificial flowers in the window of Miss Lowry.
244 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
J. C. Huffman and John Grange give cash for rye smut, William McMul-
len tables it down for pot ashes, and T. Beeman is prepared to pay for
10,000 hides. Abel Yates will keep a man for a dollar a day; S. 7.
Clements will take out his teeth or put them in, at a moderate charge;
Wilkison, Hine, or Davy will mete out the law to him or sell him land;
Waddel will make him a saddle or harness for his horse; Lewis, the
coloured. barber, will shave him; Blair will make him a good coat; and
Lamphier or Briggs a good pair of boots; Clarke or Carnal will mend
his watch; and George Wilson will fit him out for the winter; Robt.
Easton will insure his house or his life; and any one may have a night’s
lodging under the Town-hall free of charge. In a new shop Charles
McBean sells new goods at new prices, and has a regiment of Lilliputian
soldiers guarding his window; Rennie & Co. guarantee that their goods
will neither fall short in weight nor in measure, and yet it pays them
to sell sixpenny cotton for fourpence a yard. Such is a short, but by no
means exhaustive outline of the business of our streets.
“The different trades and professions of Napanee rank as follows:
The town keeps thirteen sons of Crispin making its boots, and eight
tailors cutting out and patching up its garments; nine men making har-
ness for its horses; three butchers killing its oxen and sheep; two watch-
makers regulating its time; four houses licensed by law to sell that which
sows the seeds of disease, and creates quarrels ; seven ministers proclaim-
ing the gospel; three lawyers laying down the law; two hundred and
fifty scholars attending its schools, and five teachers teaching them; four
bakers baking its bread, and two thousand people consuming it.
“In the centre of the village in an open square stands the universal
town-hall, a useful but by no means ornamental brick building. Town-
halls, all the world over, are at best a nondescript class of buildings, and
appear to us to defy the genius of architects, whose maxim is that a
building should always convey to the public some definite idea of the pur-
pose for which it was designed. The failure, no doubt, is attributable to
the fact that the town-hall is intended to serve no purpose in particular,
but is meant to be available for every purpose under the sun. Viewed in
this light that of Napanee nobly fulfils its mission. Once within its
walls you can buy and sell beef, listen to revival sermons and theatrical
entertainments, sit and stare with amazement at a continent, an island,
or the whole Arctic regions passing through the building upon canvas,
get yourself or others entangled in the meshes of the law, choose one
man to represent you and another man to misrepresent you in Parlia-
ment, be bought by ladies at bazaars, or sold by gentlemen at an auc-
tion, be humbugged or enlightened by a public lecturer, attend a school
REMINISCENCES OF NAPANEE 245
exhibition, or take lessons in dancing. In short, in Napanee, as in every
other town-hall, idle persons often spend idle hours and throw away idle
dollars.
“The Campbell House also deserves special notice. Its handsome and
cheerful appearance from without, and ample accommodation within are
sufficient to account for the rapidity with which its fame has spread,
and its popularity increased. Guests, we believe, not only receive a kind
and warm reception at the hands of its able proprietor, but they are also
attended to by men and women of their own colour and country, and
not, as in most American hotels, by the sons and daughters of Ham, who
ever bring to mind the accursed institution of the South, that bone of
American contention. Our large and stately grist and saw-mills rattling
away by the river’s side, urged on by a never failing water-power, and
our thriving stores and woollen factories are exactly what our Campbell
House would lead us to expect. The very fact that 9,000,000 feet of
lumber are annually exported from Napanee is a giant truth which speaks
volumes for its flourishing trade.
“The different religious denominations in Napanee are the Roman
Catholic Church, the Church of England, the Presbyterian, and the Epis-
copal and Wesleyan Methodist Churches, the services in which are con-
ducted by seven clergymen. This sounds well for the morality of the
town; but when you set alongside of it the fact that there are four tav-
erns and a great many more low unlicensed groggeries, you will be apt
to suspect the population are not all saints. Each sect advocates from
the pulpit and the platform unity and harmony amongst Christians, and
apparently in earnest! But at the same time the acts of the one body
towards the other seem to say: ‘Stand by thyself, come not near to me,
for I am holier than thou.’ Public meetings for the advocacy of meas-
ures affecting the good of the community, instead of being protracted
meetings, as might be expected where so many gentlemen of the cloth’
are on hand, often turn out distracted meetings, or what are called fail-
ures ; simply because the clergy do not stand shoulder to shoulder in the
cause.
“Theatres, Panoramas, Dioramas, Cycloramas, Tom Thumb gather-
ings (and scarcely a week passes without something of the kind), are
generally well attended; and when an instructive lecture on history or
science is announced it is no strange occurrence in Napanee to see the
. speaker of world-wide celebrity draw a crowd of no more than twenty to
hear him!. The political assemblies of Napanee, as in every town in
- America from the Straits of Belle Isle to the Straits of Florida, draw out ;
awe
ve
246 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
those whom even the camp-meeting horn cannot bring within the sound
of a sermon. Representation by Population is the only article in some
men’s creeds; and they are eager to embrace the glorious opportunity of
bearing witness to it before the world when an election day comes round.
- “There are two temperance societies in town; one in connection with
the Good Templars and the other known by the name of “Ihe Napanee
Teetotal Society.’ The former has seen better days than the present;
but its star is again in the ascendant. Although its members are few we
believe that some of them are enthusiastic in the cause; and this is one
of the elements of prosperity in any enterprise, either for the aggrandize-
ment or amelioration of man; for no great undertaking ever yet succeeded
without having an enthusiast at its head. But it strikes us that the object
of this Society is to form a little social gathering of Good Templars, and
not to reform or cure the town of Napanee, or any other town, of drunk-
enness; and a little more exertion put forth outside their division might
tend both to strengthen their body, and advance the cause it seeks to
promote. The other Society is of recent origin, and is intended for those
who wish merely to pledge themselves to abstain from the use of intoxi-
cating liquors as a beverage, without joining a Society where badges,
pass-words, and an outlay of cash are required. We trust the two
Societies will, by a friendly co-operation, do much in reclaiming the
drunkard and preventing the sober man from being led captive to
destruction by a stronger than himself,—strong drink. True prosperity
can never attend a town while drunkenness stalks rampant in its streets;
and Napanee is so stained with this and other vices, that our river, black
though it be itself, makes a tremendous leap to get past it as soon as
possible.
“Another evil requiring remedy is that of children strolling, or loung-
ing idly, (yea, worse than idly) at street corners after sundown. The
education that is acquired there is not of the best kind. It is easily
learned, but not so easily forgotten. It is there that superfluous Eng-
lish words are picked up, unnecessary habits formed, and rowdyism,
which sometimes shows itself in Town-hall meetings, fostered. Tom
would be far better at home than abroad of an evening.
“Napanee is not deficient in musical talent; on the contrary, it may
be justly said to be passionately fond of it. It signifies not what street
you pass through at the close of the day, you are certain to hear sweet
music sounding forth from a piano or a melodeon that is being touched
by some gentle hand. It can also bear a favourable comparison with
other towns for female beauty and accomplishments. One has only to
Se ee ee
a et a CE tee
ree ke ee
_—
—— a
Thad) ee OAL. Pele
ee A a en
ween aed seni enescun
a okt a
= care
rare ar
a me pl nr
‘
Geek's Whiiol’ <xhiiiicion 46's Bacon to Ue ebeieinent OF talk ‘ook ges a
men from the country desirous of settling in life would do well to attend ino g
on such occasions. Our town may lack beautiful trees to shade and
shelter its streets, but it is not lacking in young and beautiful belles.
Children, and dogs too, are very numerous; and it is no unusual occur-
rence to be awakened at midnight by a barking quarrel which the latter
have engendered. Let war come, Napanee is garrisoned with more than
a volunteer.regiment.”
248 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XV
DIVERSIONS AND RECREATIONS OF NAPANEE
During the winter of 1865-6 there were many vague rumours afloat
that Canada was to be invaded by the Fenians, whose programme was to
subdue our country as the first step towards the liberation of Ireland.
Little attention was paid by the authorities to this war scare until the
beginning of March, when the Government thought the situation was
serious enough to warrant the calling out of ten thousand volunteers in
order to be in a position to resist the proposed invasion.
Lennox and Addington shared in the general excitement; and a
public meeting was called in the town-hall at Napanee for March 13th,
to take into consideration the necessity of raising volunteer, companies to
aid in the defence of our country. Patriotic addresses were delivered
by Mr. George Wilson, Thomas Flynn, Dr. Bristol, F. W. Campbell,
Geo. A. Fraser, and John l’. Grange; and resolutions were unanimously
carried requesting Messrs. Campbell and Fraser, who had acquired some
military training, to raise two companies in Napanee. There was not
at the time any military organization in the county except in the old
township of Adolphustown, where Captain Sweatman had maintained
-acompany. St. Patrick’s Day came; but the Fenians did not put in an
appearance. The two companies were enrolled in Napanee and their
services tendered to the government; but the Militia Department in-
formed the gentlemen who had completed the organization that their
services were not deemed necessary; but that arms would be sent to
them as soon as the necessary arrangements could be completed. ‘The
young warriors of this promising town were not content with being thus
neglected; another public meeting was called, at which the military
authorities were roundly criticised; and a Home Guard was enrolled to
patrol our streets and keep a sharp look-out that no conspiracies against
Her Majesty were hatched in our midst. Two companies were formed
at Tamworth, one at Bath, and one at Enterprise. An Artillery Com-
‘pany was also formed in Napanee, and during the early summer months
met three times a week for drill in the town-hall.
The Adolphustown boys, who in time of peace, had prepared for
war, were at the front covering themselves with glory; while the other
newly enrolled companies were at home clamouring for clothing and — : ’ |
DIVERSIONS AND RECREATIONS OF NAPANEE 249
arms, and indulging in all sorts of misgivings as to the probable over-
throw of the empire unless these accoutrements were promptly supplied
them. It never occurred to them, until the visit of Brigade-Major Shaw
to this district in July, that the Commander-in-chief and his subordinates
had been too busy in mustering and pushing to the front the fully-equip-
ped and well-drilled companies from other parts of the country to devote
any attention to the wants of the fresh recruits of Lennox and Adding-
ton.
On the evening of July 17th the Major, arrayed in feathers and gold
braid, with a sword dangling at his side, created quite a sensation in
Tamworth by summoning Captains Douglas and Brown to a conference.
The Captains signified their willingness to produce their volunteers for
inspection; and on the following morning, although the day was wet
and disagreeable, messengers were despatched through the concession
and side lines ; and by one o’clock in the afternoon Captain Douglas stood
at the head of fifty-four burly yeoman at one end of Front street, and
fifty-two answered to the roll-call of Captain Brown at the other end.
The Major was astounded at the promptness of the response, con-
gratulated the Sheffield men upon their soldierly appearance, and
promised to return a favourable report to the Adjutant-general and to
see that they were speedily equipped with all the necessaries to place
them in a position to participate in the defence of their country.
The Company at Bath was also accepted, and Napanee’s hour of
trial arrived on the evening of the roth. The Artillery Company was
put through the various military evolutions in which they had been
instructed and acquitted themselves creditably. In the course of his
address the Major referred to the unenviable notoriety Napanee had
gained during the Fenian excitement, at the Adjutant-general’s office
and throughout the district, and hoped that the reputation of the town
would be retrieved by displaying more of a patriotic and military spirit
in the future. During the following week he inspected the Infantry Com-
panies under Captains Campbell and Fraser and, while he promised to
make a favourable report, he again took occasion to lecture the good
people of Napanee and explain to them that if they wished to shew their
loyalty to the Queen they should not wait until the foe was actually
upon our soil before making a move. Our citizens accepted the rebuke
and, although the war scare was over, for a time the military spirit was
rampant; and public meetings were called to discuss ways and means of
defraying the expense of our volunteers at a military camp, which it was
proposed should be held in this county in the autumn. ‘The infection
spread to Ernesttown; and in August another company of Infantry
iii is = ; _ 7a j a nt ie y 2) LX
es > ta ATS 4] , A i Sen ho a te ~ a a Tees
ay OT ee oe a ea es oe Mee
250 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
under Captain Anson Lee was formed at Odessa. The town council
appropriated $500 for the erection of a drill shed, petitioned the county
council to supplement this sum by $1,000, and the government was
expected to contribute as much more. R. J. Cartwright (the late Sir
Richard) signified his willingness to donate a site.
Rumours of another contemplated invasion were current in Septem-
ber ; and the local force scented a bloody engagement when a Fredericks-
burgh farmer laid intormation before the Mayor that suspicious looking
craft were from time to time discharging in the night at McDonald Cove
cargoes which were suspected to be Fenian arms. His Worship, Mayor
Davy, instructed the Chief of Police to investigate the matter; and
three waggon loads of patriots “armed to the teeth” drove to the spot,
determined to sell their lives dearly or return with the munitions of war
of “The Irish Republic.” This land force was to co-operate with the
local navy, which consisted of the old steamer John Greenway, which
was lying at the dock at the time. The town council, which happened to
be in session, embarked upon the steamer and proceeded down the river
to the appointed rendezvous. Early the next morning both parties
returned to town, having done no more serious damage to the supposed
invaders than to frighten away a small boat alleged to have been engaged
in smuggling liquor to the other side of the line.
The county council met in September and declined to entertain the
request of the town for a grant for the erection of a drill shed, so the
plan fell through; but the county military organization was completed ;
and the December number of the Canada Gazette announced the forma-
tion of the 48th Battalion with Captain Anson Lee of Odessa raised to
the rank of Lieutenant-colonel. The same number proclaimed Lieuten- &
_ant Edward Stevenson, Adjutant of the Napanee Battery Garrison Arrtil- .
lery. The Fenians had abandoned their designs upon Canada and, save ;
the few who were languishing in our prisons, were said to be directing be
their steps towards Mexico, with the avowed intention of settling things
down there, expelling the French, and sending the Emperor Maximilian
about his business. The cold weather and the municipal elections were i
coming on; and the citizens of the county soon forgot the stirring events ai
of the year then closing and again settled down to their ordinary pur-
suits.
At no time have the young men of Napanee taken very kindly to
soldiering ; the two Infantry Companies organized in the town made a
poor shewing at the annual inspections, and more than once the com-
ments of the Inspector were not at all complimentary. The reasons =
assigned at the time were the lack of interest shewn by the town council,
ss
~~ a eee.
err — S 1
Pi, ie Se Wee ee a ee
DIVERSIONS AND RECREATIONS OF NAPANEE 251
and the want of a drill shed or other suitable quarters for the accom-
modation of the volunteers. For a time the annual camp was held in
the fair grounds; the “palace” being set apart as quarters for the men,
while the tents of the officers, hospital tent, and officers’ mess tent occu-
pied positions facing the east entrance. As some four hundred men
used to assemble at these annual drills the town, for a while, wore quite
a military air.
Napanee has always been ambitious in the matter of sports. At the
present time the Curling Club, although labouring under a great disad-
vantage in having a very inferior rink, has more than held its own against
Belleville, Brockville, and Kingston, and has to its credit more trophies
than any other club in the Eastern League. It was organized about
twenty years ago by Dr. Bissonnette and the late W. A. Bellhouse. For
many years the Napanee Hockey Club scored many brilliant victories
against the neighbouring towns and cities, but has been unable to main-
tain its record through the want of a rink. The Collegiate Institute
football teams have captured all the cups that have come within their
reach, and baseball has had its intermittent periods of popularity, and
whenever ‘a team has been put in the field it has made a fair showing.
For over twenty years the ancient game of golf has had a few ardent
votaries, whose annual defeats have not quenched their love for the
sport.
Fifty years ago there were two or three bowling-alleys in the town,
while to-day there is none, nor has there been for thirty years. The time
is ripe for the revival of this excellent game and the introduction of
bowling on the green.
Wickets, stumps, bails, and cricket bats are terms unfamiliar to the
rising generation and this, too, in a town which twenty-seven years ago
held the championship of the province. Captain F. S. Richardson has
found no successor to fill his place upon the green; but it is to be hoped
that the young men now coming to the front in the sporting world will
regain for Napanee the good reputation it once had of being the best
cricket town in the province. The “gentleman’s game” took the lead in
manly sports before Napanee assumed the dignity of a town, and the
matches with the neighbouring villages were among the leading events of
the season.
The following report of a contest between Napanee and Bath played
on the Bath cricket ground on July 28th, 1860, will be of interest to the
“old boys :”
“Bath winning the toss sent Napanee to the bat at 11.30 a.m.
‘
. : ‘ *
7.) —— oe a a ns = a) ee eet 7 ‘a eae ee A
‘a aS) oo eee
we ’ A
252 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Napanee—First Innings Bath—First Innings
Charles Ham, b Wilmer ..... 3 Wilmer, st Ham 2.02 0.3¥ee5- 18
A. Campbell, run out ....... 9 R. B: Price; 0 ant. 3.5.55 5
G. Taylor, b Wilmer ...... t R.R. Finkle, leo bw...t..5%- fe)
pevVoeasey, Tun Out ....5. 56% 52 I. Cameron, b Ham, c Steven-
Jno. Taylor, b Cameron .... 4 SOtt 35. NEGAEN A a ee ee I
C. Jenkins, b Wilmer, c Ash- C.. Ashton; b. Ham isa. .551 10
ton Poe Pancoa +a eh aba ter 17 Haywood, b Carey, c Steven-
Jno. Stevenson, b Cameron.. 5 SOM Ss selene ee bile ee I
Jno. Wilson, b and c Wilmer. 12 I. Price, b Carey ........... oO
W. Blewett, b Cameron ..... o Dr. Ashton, b Carey, c Wilson 0
Thos. Crampton, b and ¢ Cam- R. Stinson, b Carey, c Camp-
eran sie. Os heeas EK Be 2 bell. cece Ga eee eee ene fe)
C. Donoghue, not out ....... 4 I. Johnston, not out ......... 5
~—~ H. ‘Rogers, ‘b) Carey’ i.c..055 45 2
109 mn oes
BOS ct o5k ce tab bass sues 16 44
NAPE Wir eater yen AGG WYES. vn ow vew roan vend anes 4
POON Fo Alea ee bek ae). 132 Vota): ua tste wes onan 48
Bath—Second Innings
Haywood, b:Carey i. eisck: tH. Rogers, run out ......... 3
Henkle, ran out iiyicck ick ol 10 ———
Wilner, not Ont) 6 s0d.s os os 20 47
Dr. Ashton, b/Caréy i. ia fi058 T ~! Byes) 25. nhoatrars oe menenes 4
Ru Stinson, boCarey ss odie fe) ; ae
BB. Price, st: ‘Carey s4i.2% 5 51
I. Johnston, b Carey ........ 3 First Innings... .... 0952. 26 48
I. Cameron, b Carey ........ O Rae
eA shitor. ran Out... east dice fe) Al 99
NEG Se aS Cy a BR 4 Napanee—First Innings ..... 132
“The play-on both sides was good. Carey’s score of 52, and his a
bowling in the second innings showed him to possess no common skill as
a cricketer, while Wilmer displayed great judgment and a clear know-
ledge of the game by his steady scoring and the manner in which he
carried out his bat in the second innings against Carey’s and Ham’s
bowling. C. Ashton made a fine score of ten. The fielding on both
sides was good, and some splendid catches were made. After the game
~ all adjourned to Stinson’s Hotel where a capital dinner was prepared, cs ae
which ample justice was done in that hearty style in which cricketer a
so excel, when Mr. Stinson, the president of the me ‘ lub, with e
= aa ai
DIVERSIONS AND RECREATIONS OF NAPANEE
~
253
very appropriate remarks, presented a very fine ball, with three cheers,
to the Napanee Club, which was responded to by Mr. J. Taylor the presi-
dent of the club in a very nice manner, and cheers returned. Cheers to
the ladies whose presence graced the field, responded to by Mr. H.
Rogers in an eloquent speech, and cheers for the Umpires and Scorers
when the clubs bid each other adieu, soon to meet again and renew the
contest.”
On June oth, 1873, a match was played between Kingston and
Napanee on the grounds of the Kingston Club with the following score:
Napanee—First Innings
Farmer, J., b Galloway ..... I
Hawley, c Corbett .........- II
Mumford, b Ormiston ...... oO
Geddes, b Galloway ......... 8
Farmer, R., b Galloway ...... re)
Chinneck, b Ormiston ...... oO
Stevenson, b Ormiston ...... 13
Pruyn, c Galloway ......... 3
Webster, b Galloway ........ I
ADCEINE, TOC OUb ss ade he 8c a I
Waddell, b Galloway ........ I
Byes, leg byes and wides .... 28
BOR ‘anid cagtiawaehs 68
Second Innings
Farmer, J., run out ......... 8
Hawley, b Galloway ........ 3
Mumford, b Galloway ...... fe)
Geddes, c Carruthers ........ 8
Farmer, R., b Ormiston ..... 3
Chinneck, b Ormiston ....... 5
Stevenson, run out .......... 3
Pruyn, b Galloway ......... e)
Webster, not out ........... fe)
Abrams, b Ormiston ........ fe)
Waddell, b Galloway ........ fo)
Byes, leg byes and wides .... 23
¢
Ms ; 7 a
a Lars 1 an Sh
fe 1. a pa Y
¥ i)
ct |
Kingston—First Innings
Faller, b Priyn>.aeici fice I
Glidden; Bb Pruyii,. isis caves I
Ormiston, c Abrams ........ oO
jones, b Prage 43 56..w oe 17
Dickson, c Abramas .......... 10
Corbett. Pripn: ...5 .tvieea es 4
Galloway, b Abrams ........ 4
Alexander, b Pruyn ........ 12
Burkett; b Priyn’. ..66o5.65. 3
Wendry (Ot OWE 6 i Givens } ae
Carruthers, c Hawley ...... I
Byes, leg byes, and wides ... 26
LOAD 6 235 6s bapaNtee 83
Second Innings
Dickson, c Chinneck ........ 6
Corbett, b Praya iis coud ean a
Jones,:b Prayn .. 8. fatans 2
Galloway, b Abrams ........ fe)
Hendry, c Chinneck ........ 9
Alexander, b Pruyn ......... 4
Glidden, b Pruyn ........... 5
Carruthers, b Pruyn ........ oO
Ormiston, not out ........... 3
Byes and wides 2.4 6.¢.022<: 3
37
Napanee, 1st and 2nd innings. 118
Kingston, 1st and 2nd innings. 120
Majority for Kingston ...... 2
With two wickets to spare.
a hae
| Loa et
254 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Few towns possess better natural advantages for obtaining beautiful
recreation grounds than Napanee; but in its early years no effort appears
to have been made to secure a proper place for field sports or to set aside
any of the vacant lands for a park. The cricket club used a pasture
field or commons, and the school children were confined to the narrow
limits of the land attached to the school buildings. The first step towards
providing a park was taken about twenty-five years ago by a few lead-
ing citizens, among them being His Honour Judge Wilkison, Wm. Miller,
Nelson Doller, Stephen Gibson, and several other public-spirited men.
The beautiful driving park to the west of the town is the result of their
labours.
To the generosity of Mr. Harvey Warner the town is indebted for
the more central square that bears his name. The trees, shrubs, and flow-
ers were donated by the Horticultural Society, which is largely responsi-
ble for the marked improvement in the cultivation of flowers in all parts
of the town. Our river front is and has for years been an eyesore to
every one; and it is to be hoped that some united effort will, in the near
future, be made to render it more presentable. A stranger approaching
our town by water receives a first impression that is not easily shaken
off. A municipal wharf, at which steamers, and visiting and local motor
boats could discharge their passengers, is badly needed and could be
provided at a very small cost.
The grounds of the Agricultural Society are used for public pur-
poses one day out of three hundred and sixty-five. In commenting
upon this beautiful spot forty-five years ago, when the “Palace” was
first used, the editor of the Weekly Express said: “The grounds so beauti-
ful by nature now requires a touch of art. It would cost twenty-five
cents a piece or less to plant elms or maples around the whole plot, and
in a few years the place would become a public park, a greater ornament
to the place than it now is, and a resort for pleasure seekers who most
delight to bask in ambrosial groves.” Forty-five springs have come and
gone, and those longed-for elms and maples are still unplanted. If the
very sensible advice of the editor had been acted upon, Napanee would
have had in the east end of the town, at a trifling expense—an ornamental
pleasure-ground that other towns, less favourably situated, would be
glad to spend thousands to duplicate. No doubt the Society would have
been only too glad to see its pasture field turned to such good account.
It is only in recent years that the citizens have begun to appreciate
the facilities for boating which they possess, and many have yet to
learn the beauties of that part of the Napanee River above the falls. A
more ideal stream for the canoeist it would be difficult to find, parti-
cularly that tortuous part of it meandering through the overhanging trees
and along sloping meadows between the town and Mink’s bridge.
BANKS AND BANKING 255
CHAPTER XVI
BANKS AND BANKING
As the settlements advanced and transportation facilities improved,
money began to circulate, and it was not long before the thrifty farmers
and merchants of Lennox and Addington began to accumulate savings.
Many of these were invested in the stock of the early banking institu-
tions of the province, especially the so-called Bank of Upper Canada,
and the Commercial Bank of the Midland District, both of which had
their headquarters at Kingston. Early in 1837 a bold attempt, the honour
of which belongs to Bath, was made to found a bank of our own.
The previous years had been a period of feverish prosperity in
Upper Canada and in the United States; and in the latter country many
schemes of wild-cat banking had been floated. In Upper Canada the
restrictions imposed by the official class upon the incorporation of banks
had been very severe; and although in some cases dictated by a real
desire for “sound money” they had also tended to the profit of their
authors. This had aroused much discontent; and a movement had been
begun in favour of “joint-stock banking, without incorporation, after the
English model.”’*
Under deeds of settlement, a number of small banking institutions
thus came into existence without need of legislative formalities, and by
a deed of settlement signed at Bath and bearing date February 11th,
1837, the several parties thereto agreed to become partners in a company
to be known as the Freeholders’ Bank of the Midland District. Sixty-
three subscribers were obtained, among them being such representative
men from the county as Benjamin Ham, William Sills, Peter Davy,
Samuel Clark, John Hawley, Hammel Madden, John V. Detlor, Phillip
J. Roblin, Joshua B. Lockwood, and Elijah Huffman. The articles of
partnership, containing about 8,000 words, were, for the convenience of
the subscribers, printed in pamphlet form, and provided for every pos-
sible contingency that could reasonably be expected to arise. The first
six articles of this legal masterpiece read as follows:
“tT. That they, the said several persons, parties to these presents,
shall and will become Partners together in a Company, or Society, to be
called THE FREEHOLDERS’ BANK OF THE MIDLAND DIS-
* Breckenridge, ‘‘History of wea in Canada.”” (Washington Government Print-
ing Office, 1910)
256 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
TRICT, and from time to time, and at all times, so long as they shall
continue Partners therein, promote and advance the interest and advan-
tage of the Company, to the utmost of their power.
“2. That the Company shall consist of 300 Shareholders, each of
whom may subscribe and hold any number of Shares not exceeding ten
Shares, and that each Share will be one hundred pounds of lawful money,
of the Province of Upper Canada: Provided always, and it is the intent
and meaning of this clause that each person subscribing these presents
as a Shareholder, must have good title in fee simple to and be in posses-
sion of real and unencumbered property of the full value of the number
of Shares and amount so subscribed by such Shareholder.
“3. That no person shall, in his or her own right, be allowed pre-
viously to the opening of the Bank, or at any subsequent period, to sub-
scribe for or possess more than ten Shares of the said Company, save
and except such Shares as shall come to any person or persons by bequest
of any previous Shareholder, or as his, or her, or their next of kin.
“4. That it shall not be lawful or competent for two or more in-
dividuals to subscribe for or hold jointly (except as trustees, executors,
or administrators) any Share or Shares, and in no case shall any Share
or Shares be divided into fractional parts.
“5. That no benefit of survivorship shall take place between the
Shareholders; and each of the Shareholders, as between one another,
_ shall be entitled to and interested in the profits, and liable and subject to
the losses of the Company in proportion to his or her Share or Shares, in
the said Capital, Fund, or Joint Stock.
“6. That the business of the Company shall commence when three
hundred persons shall have subscribed these presents as Shareholders, —
sand shall be conducted on the following principles:
“That the Company shall issue their notes payable twelve months
after the date thereof; the said notes bearing date from the day or time
when the same shall be issued, and shall lend money in the Bank-notes
of the Company, due at twelve months, as aforesaid, to such persons as
may apply for the same, and shall convey to the President and Cashier
of the said Company for the time being and their successors in office in
trust for the said Company, their right, title, and interest, in, to, or out
of, freehold property being intrusted to the Directors for the time being.
The person receiving the said loan or advance shall also give a Promis-
sory Note as maker thereof, payable to Cashier of the said Company
for the time being, or his order, and due nine months after the date
thereof for the amount so lent or advanced. The Company will renew
the said Promissory Note as long as may be required by the shorpower, td
THE FIRST REGISTRY OFFICE OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON, MILLHAVEN.
MIDLAND
Yo, PA+4 Ma tf ‘yf
i “
rn 7s
4 j
4
MIDLAND
Fp, SPC hs fp t4
, ;
pybeass¢ toss
Sa DISTRICT,
PR delecrngped
7
Vis gC} hat fox ttl
Be),
DISTRICT,
Hslleraps 4
f fi
PROMISSORY NOTES. FREE HOLDERS BANK.
Ry
west. oS
-
—_
BANKS AND BANKING 257
upon the security of the real property so conveyed as in this clause before
mentioned, and upon the following conditions, that the said person bor-
rowing shall bring to the Office or Banking house of the Company, spe-
cie, the notes of other banks made payable on demand, or the notes
issued by the said Company, which shall become due according to their
tenor in six months after the date of the said renewal, equal to the
amount of the note or obligation so required to be renewed. ‘These con-
ditions being first performed by the person so borrowing, the Company
will immediately re-discount upon the renewed note, and the real pro-
perty and security as aforesaid, to the amount of the former note given
by the borrower, by giving him the said amount (less discount) in the
notes of the Company, payable twelve months after the date of the said
renewal,—and the Company will accelerate the effecting Exchange by
every means consistent with the safety of the Institution that can be
adopted, for the purpose of enabling the person borrowing, as aforesaid,
to renew his note as aforesaid. The Company will also discount Promis-
sory Notes, as in the present Bank Companies in the said Province with
‘ approved endorsers. But for or in no other business, adventure, trade
or merchandise whatsoever, than that of Banking, according to the
description and system in this clause before mentioned.”
‘Promissory notes of five and twenty-five shillings respectively, beau-
tifully engraved and printed by a New York firm, were ready for issue.
It is doubtful, however, whether any of them were issued, for just at
this moment the boom burst. Through the reckless system of discount-
ing practised in the United States, the credit system of that country had
been strained till it snapped, and a financial panic ensued. In England,
too, there was distress, and taking warning from the losses of their
neighbours, on March 4th, 1837, the Provincial Legislature struck a fatal
blow at the Freeholders’ Bank by passing an Act “to protect the public
against injury from private banking,” which forbade under heavy penalty
any bank bill or note to be issued by any body, “associated without legis-
lative authority.” Four institutions, which had actually begun operations,
were exempted from its provisions, but of these the infant bank of
Bath was not one. In vain Mr. Peter Davy and 386 other freeholders
of the Midland District petitioned the Legislative Assembly that the
Bank “may be allowed to continue its operations.” A Bill was brought
in, and after some amendments by the Legislative Council, which were
accepted by the Assembly, passed on July 11th, 1837, “to afford relief to
certain banking institutions heretofore carrying on business in this pro-
vince, by enabling them more conveniently to settle their affairs, and
for protecting the interests of persons holding their notes.” This Act
17
258 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
allowed the shareholders of such institutions to appoint commissioners
for settling their affairs; and under it the shareholders of the Freehold-
ers’ Bank appointed James Fraser, William Sills, and Benjamin Ham
commissioners for the purpose. It is significant of the looseness with
which affairs were at this time transacted in the province that the Bill
was brought in on the motion of Mr. John Solomon Cartwright, Member
for the county, and that on August 7th, 1837, the appointment of the
commissioners was confirmed by the same John Solomon Cartwright in
his capacity of Judge of the District Court of the Midland District.
The work of the commissioners took some time, and on February
14th, 1838, a petition, apparently praying for certain further powers, was
presented by them to the Legislative Assembly, and referred to a special
committee. The original powers eventually proved to be sufficient, the
affairs of the Company were wound up without the need of a report from
the committee, and early in 1838 the dream of the would-be financiers of
Lennox and Addington had vanished.
The first Savings Bank opened in Napanee was purely of local
origin and was known as the Napanee Savings Bank Society. The Com-
mittee of Management consisted of R. J. Cartwright, J. Stevenson, J.
Grange, J. F. Bartels, W. McGillivray, and Alex. Campbell, with the
Rey. Dr. Lauder as Treasurer, and Robert Phillips, head-master of the
Grammar School, Book-keeper. On Friday, October 5th, 1860, the
books were opened for depositors, and the following rules were pub-
lished :
- Ist. The Society will receive any sum not under 25 cents.
2nd. Will allow interest upon each pound remaining in their hands
for a period not less than two months at the rate of 5% per annum, but
» will not on broken parts of a pound or for broken parts of a month.
3rd. Will not receive more than two hundred dollars from any one
individual. ;
4th. The Treasurer and Book-keeper will receive and pay out
moneys at the Town-hall between the hours of 7 and 8 p.m. on Tuesdays
and Fridays of each week.
5th. Any sum not exceeding $5 may be drawn out on demand, and
any over $5 upon giving a week’s notice.
6th. All sums paid into the hands of the Treasurer will be forth-
with placed on deposit in the Commercial Bank of Canada at Kingston.
7th. No money will be loaned or otherwise invested on any pretence
whatever. a
8th. Each depositor will be provided with a small book, wherein —
deposits and sums paid out are to be entered. No money will be received
{
BANKS AND BANKING 259
or money returned unless this book be produced to have the proper
entries made therein.
oth. No money is to be received or paid out except in the joint
presence of the Book-keeper and Treasurer, or if the latter be unavoid-
ably absent, of some member of the Committee. And each deposit or
repayment must be initialled in the depositor’s book by both of the above
parties.
Sir Richard Cartwright was the founder of this very laudable institu-
tion; he and two other members of the Board, Messrs. McGillivray and
Bartels, gave their personal bond guaranteeing the investors against loss,
and advanced the very excellent reasons for all persons of small means
patronizing the bank that the money “thus placed out of their immediate
control, will prevent their indulging many an extravagant desire, will
teach them careful and provident habits, and in addition will be improv-
ing in amount to be ready for them at any moment when really re-
quired.” Fifty years later we see the same man, then Minister of Trade
and Commerce, placing upon the Statute Books of Canada a similar pro-
vision to encourage thrift among the poorer classes throughout the entire
Dominion.
The first chartered bank to open a branch in Napanee was the now
defunct Commercial Bank which on June 4th, 1864, opened its books for
business in the small frame store on John Street between the Paisley
House and the stone building used for many years as a butcher shop.
The manager was the late Alexander Smith, who lived in the latter
building and, from want of a better place, kept the bank books and cash
in a safe.in his dining-room. Over the dining-room the manager slept;
and a hole through the floor commanded a view of the front of the safe
and afforded an opportunity, if the occasion demanded it, to discharge
into any would-be robbers the contents of a brace of pistols which were
always ready at hand. The Commercial Bank continued in business for
four years, when a panic was caused in the town by the announcement
of its failure; but the Merchants Bank came to its rescue, took over its
premises, business, and staff, and remained in the old frame building
until 1870, when J. J. Watson of Adolphustown erected on Bridge
Street the building designed especially as a bank and dwelling
and now occupied by Dr. Simpson. The lower story of the western end
of the building was devoted to the bank, and the door now used as the
office door of the surgery was the bank entrance. Behind the office to
which this door gave admittance was the vault and private office of the
manager. For ten years this was the headquarters of the bank in
Napanee, when it was felt that a location on Main Street would be more
260 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
desirable and the building opposite the Campbell House was secured. Mr.
Smith continued as manager until 1893, when Mr. T. E.. Merrett assumed
control. The latter gentleman’s promotion was rapid, but not undeserved,
as he remained but two years in Napanee as manager, when, after a few
brief changes, he was placed in charge of the New York branch and
now fills the important position of Branch Superintendent and Chief
Inspector of this, one of the largest financial institutions in Canada. He
was succeeded in 1895 by the late W. A. Bellhouse, who gained great
popularity in the town as an able and obliging banker, and a most
enthusiastic golfer and curler. The present manager, Mr. E.. R. Checkley,
who had spent several years in the Napanee branch under different
' managers, relieved Mr. Bellhouse during his illness in 1909, and upon
the death of the latter was appointed to his present position. In June,
I911, the bank moved into its pleasant and commodious quarters on the
corner of John and Dundas Streets, where the genial manager and his
obliging staff are still dealing in the coveted dollats and cents.
The next bank to open a branch in Napanee was the Bank of
British North America which carried on business for two or three years
in the Miller Block on John Street, one door south of the front entrance
to the Paisley House dining-room. A most singular fatality pursued the |
chief members of the staff; and the head office, apparently discouraged
in the attempt to man an office in Napanee, concluded to withdraw from
the town.
The Dominion Bank took over the business of the Bank of British
North America in January, 1878, and continued for a time in the same
premises until accommodation was provided in the Blewett Plock on the
Market Square corner. There has been a succession of able and popular
» managers in charge of the branch, who, together with the embryo bank-
ers from time to time under them, have been a decided acquisition to the
social life of the town. The business of the bank has steadily increased
under their fostering care until now it is regarded as one of the most
prosperous branches of the institution. The General Manager of the
bank, Mr. Clarence Bogert, is an old Napanee boy; and two of the man-
agers, Mr. Baines and Mr. Pepler, now holding responsible positions in
the Toronto offices, each secured their fair partners in life in Napanee,
while in charge of the local branch.
- Following is a list of the managers from the opening of branch to
the present time, with the respective dates of service:
GRIT. ARLE 5.34 oeadine meee ane from 1878 to 1883
| Ne Es 2 ee EP from 1883 to 1885
‘Walter. Datling 6... sist ssl bles from 1885 to 1888
REV. SALTERN GIVENS. REV. DR. BERNARD LAUDER.
re ee a. eee
ee
’
ST. MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, NAPANEE, 1840-1872.
7 : ; 1 ‘ °
ae
eae | “ Da
yD
-
7,
7 7 - 7
PO ee ae oe a ee ag ea ea
Ee ke eee as ‘
BANKS AND BANKING 261
Po Ee, Bathes oaks etait cas ....from 1888 to 1897.
- Arthur Pepler ........... ..+.++..from 1897 to 1898
YT. So Hill... ciewee case coces 6 skh) Ieee to 1904
DD. Ee Hill << oa eave toe aces from 1904 to 1911
G. P. Reiffenstein from 1911 to the present time.
The last to enter the field in Napanee was the Crown Bank of Can-
ada, which, in 1906, opened a branch on the south side of Dundas Street
in the Albert Block, where it has remained ever since; but upon amal-
gamating with the Northern Bank in 1908 the name was changed to The
Northern Crown Bank. Up to the present it has undergone few changes;
but it is rapidly making history under its energetic manager, Mr. R. G.
H. Travers, who has been in charge of the branch since a few months
after its opening.
Prior to the coming of this bank to Napanee there were only two
banks in the county, the Merchants and Dominion, but now there are
ten, of which number three are in Napanee and a branch of the Northern
Crown in each of the following villages,—Bath, Odessa, and Enterprise,
a branch of the Sterling in Tamworth, the Merchants in Yarker, and the
Standard in Camden East and Newburgh.
‘
262 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XVII
NAPANEE CHURCHES :
Prior to 1835 there was no church in Napanee of any denomina-
tion, and religious services were conducted in private houses or any room
that could be found suitable for the purpose. We gather from the Lang-
horn records that there was a congregation of the English Church in
Napanee as early as 1809 and probably much earlier. The village was
at that time annexed to Bath ecclesiastically ; but was not much credit to.
the mother church of the county. Of so little consequence was it that
no wardens were chosen for three successive years, and even the rector
of Bath was not greatly worried over the neglect. In 1835 the Cart-
wrights donated the lot on the north-west corner of Thomas Street and
the Newburgh Road, upon which was built a plain stone structure, St.
Mary Magdalene Church. It was about forty feet long by thirty wide,
and above the roof there rose a tower in which was hung a bell, the first
to summon the good people of Napanee to worship. Not a trace of the
old church now remains, as it was torn down and the material used in the
erection of the new St. Mary Magdalene which has recently been im-
proved and is now one of the handsomest churches in the diocese.
Even after the congregation had provided a place of worship, no
resident rector was appointed, but the Rev. Saltern Givens, missionary to —
the Mohawks in the Tyendenaga Reserve, took the parish in charge and
sconducted services every Sabbath until 1849, when the Rev. Wm.
Lauder was appointed the first rector of the parish of Napanee. He was
succeeded in 1862 by the Rev. J. J. Bogert, M.A., who removed to Ottawa
in 1881, and was followed by the Rev. Archdeacon T. Bedford-Jones,
LL.D. The present rector, Rev. Arthur Jarvis, assumed charge upon
the removal of the Archdeacon to Brockville in 1890, and retired from
active supervision of the parish in 1908, since which date the church has
had two Vicars, the late lamented Rev. F. T. Dibb, and the present incum-
bent, the Rev. W. E. Kidd.
The Wesleyan Methodists were but five years behind the Anglicans,
and in 1840 built a brick church forty by sixty feet on the site of the _
peat ‘Trinity Church, the land being also donated by the Cee it
as?" ¢7
Sanity. Tt was dedicated by the Rev. Gilbert Mis ss s stati
Dr
a PV
rr ar
i heal erie
a 4 , re 7
NAPANEE CHURCHES 263
in Napanee at the time; and the pulpit was afterwards filled by many
prominent preachers, among whom were the Reverends Robert Corson,
D. B. Madden, John Black, William Haw, and B. Slight. In 1860, while
the Rev. F. Berry was in charge of the church, steps were taken to build
a new stone church which was intended to outstrip in size and grandeur
every other place of worship in the District. The congregation responded
to the call of the pastor, subscriptions came pouring in, the noble edifice,
as it was at that time considered, was begun, and the last touch on the
exterior was the erection of the weather-vane which took place on Octo-
ber 27th, 1861, and was an event of such importance that the whole town
turned out to witness the performance. A local reporter thus described
+
“The finale was placed upon the spire of the new Stone Church in
our village on Monday p.m. It was quite exciting to witness the opera-
tion. To see men, and these our own citizens, busily engaged with pole,
rope, and tackle at the dizzy height of one hundred and fifty feet from
terra firma, to see them handle an object some four feet long by two
feet in thickness was a sight worth seeing. And none witnessed it with
greater pleasure than the children of our Grammar and Common Schools,
who were allowed by the kindness of Mr. Phillips, the principal, to wit-
ness the sight.
“Tt is pleasing to know that from the beginning of the erection of
this very beautiful and large edifice, no serious accident has occurred. It
speaks well for the care and management of the contractors........ The
edifice thus far is certainly a credit to the church, and an ornament to
the village, and tells favourably for the energy of the Building Com-
mittee under whose direction it has been erected.”
The dedication of the basement took place on Sunday, November
23rd, 1861. Appropriate sermons were preached morning and evening
by Rev. George Young of Kingston, and in the afternoon by John Black
of Belleville. This was followed by a Bazaar on Monday evening, at
which addresses were delivered by the Reverends Dr. Stinson, John
Black, George Young, H. Lanton, and J. C. Ash. The singing was said
to have been of “rare excellence and reflected much credit upon the
young people.”
Even this once grand edifice was in time felt to be inadequate for
the needs of the large congregation; and to the Rev. W. H. Emsley may
be given no small part of the credit for the erection of* the handsome
cement church so perfectly equipped and beautifully decorated. It was
built in 1906 on the site of its two predecessors; and the citizens of
q V Napanee, and especially the loyal congregation that contributed the funds —
for its erection have just cause to be bbs of the magnificent structure.
264 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
About the year 1840 the Napanee circuit extended all the way from
Gosport on the south to Wheeler’s Mills on the north, covering a terri-
tory over which there are now stationed at least ten clergymen. The
roads in the northern part of the county were mere trails through the
forest, from which the underbush had been cut; and the circuit rider’s
only practical means of travelling from one appointment to another was
on horseback. Two ministers were in charge of this circuit, and it can
be readily understood that they spent a very large portion of their time
in the saddle.
In 1842 Father Corson was returning one day from a visit to
Wheeler’s Mills, and his course lay through the northern part of Rich-
mond, as the Salmon River could be crossed only at a point now known
as Forest Mills. As he was jogging along the lonely path, with his
saddle-bags dangling behind him, he met a solitary traveller who be-
sought him to come over to Lime Lake, where there were a few scattered
log huts, without either preacher or regular service. The appeal was
too strong for the good old man to resist, so Lime Lake was added to
the Napanee circuit. ‘’he stranger who made this appeal was the late
Elijah Storr, who afterwards became one of the prominent men of the
county, and occupied the warden’s chair.
As the population increased in numbers and wealth, one by one the
appointments were lopped off and the circuit reduced. Thus in 1850
Newburgh was set apart, in 1866 Selby was removed, in 1872 Morven
and Gosport were severed, and for the first time Napanee became a cir-
cuit of one appointment only. The term “circuit,” implying the riding
about from one appoittment to another, is scarcely applicable to ‘a single
church which received exclusively the services of its pastor; but the
nomenclature of the good old days is still retained, and perhaps it is for
the best if for no other purpose than to carry us back to the time of our
fathers who
“Cheerful bore the hard
“Coarse fare and russet garb of pioneers
“In these great woods, content to build a home
~ “And commonwealth, where they could live secure,
“A life of honour, loyalty, and peace.”
Following is a list of the ministers stationed on the Napanee circuit
from 1840 to the present day:
1840 Revs. Cyrus R. Allison, William Haw
1841 Revs. Robert Corson, Gilbert Miller
1850 Revs
1851 Revs.
1852 Revs
1842 Revs.
1843 Revs.
1844 Revs.
1845 Revs.
1846 Revs.
1847 Revs.
1848 Revs.
1849 Revs.
NAPANEE CHURCHES
Robert Corson, Gilbert Miller
William Haw, Samuel P. LaDow’
Asahel Hurlburt, Samuel P. LaDow
Asahel Hurlburt, John Sanderson
George Goodson, John Sanderson
George Goodson, John A. Williams
William McFadden, John A. Williams
William McFadden, Thomas Cleghorn
. John Black, Joseph Reynolds
John Black, John W. German
. D. B. Madden, Robert Brewster
265
1853 Revs. D. B. Madden, John D. Pugh
1854 Rev. George F. Playter
1855 Rev. George F. Playter
1856 Revs.
Benjamin Slight, M.A., John Slight
1857 Rev. Benjamin, Slight, M.A.
1857 Revs. William English, Samuel Wilson
1858 Revs. William English, John Thompson
1859 Revs. William English, William W. Ross
1860 Revs. Francis Berry, James Ash, Richard Pretty
1861 Revs. Francis Berry, Davidson McDonald, George Robson
1862 Revs. Francis Berry, T. W. Jeffrey, George Robson
1863 Revs. Wm. McCullough, T. W. Jeffrey, David Brethour
1864 Revs. Wm. McCullough, David Brethour, John F. German
1865 Revs. John S. Clarke, D. Kennedy, B.A., G. H. Squire, B.A.
1866 Revs. John S. Clarke, Alexander Campbell
1867 Revs.
1868 Revs.
-1869 Revs.
1870 Revs.
1871 Revs.
John S. Clarke, Alexander Campbell
Wm. Scott, Thomas Kelley
Wm. Scott, William Shaw
Wm. Scott, John Ridley
George M. Meachem, M.A., Thomas Cardus
1872 Rev. George M. Meachem, M.A.
1873 Rev. George M. Meachem, M.A.
1874-5-6 Rev. W. S. Blackstock
1877-8-9 Rev. A. B. Chambers, B.C.L,.
1880-1 Rev. Wm. Hansford
1882-3-4 Rev. M. L. Pearson
1885-6-7 Rev. W. H. Emsley
1888-9-90 Rev. A. B. Chambers, D.D.
_ 1891-2-3 Rev. S. J. Shorey
1894-5-6 Rev. N. A. McDiarmid, S.T.D.
—
266 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
1897-8-9 Rev. W. J. Crothers, M.A.
1900-1-2-3 Rev. C. E. McIntyre, M.A.
1904-5-6-7 Rev. W. H. Emsley
1908-9-11-12 Rev. G. W. McCall, B.A., B.D.
1912 Rev. S. Sellery, M.A., B.D.
About the year 1842 the first Methodist Episcopal church, known
for a long time as the White Church, was commenced on the site of
the Western Methodist Church, and was completed in 1844, with the Rev.
John Bailey as Presiding Elder, and the Rev. H. H. Johnston as the
Minister'in charge. In 1871 the Rev. S. G. Stone was appointed to
Napanee, and he felt the need of a new church. The late John Gibbard
was the most prominent man in the congregation and, up to the time of
his death, was a generous contributor to the funds of the church. It
was a large undertaking for a small congregation, but the enthusiasm
of the pastor and the liberality of Mr. Gibbard became infectious, the
work was begun, and the present church completed in October, 1873, at
a cost of $17,000. It has recently been renovated and improved, and
is well suited to serve the needs of the congregation for many years to
come. The needs of the pastor are not overlooked, as he is housed in
a handsome and well furnished parsonage next door to the church.
This church has been singularly fortunate in securing some of the
most prominent men in the conference to officiate as pastor. Following
is a complete list of the clergymen stationed at this appointment during
the past fifty years:
1861-63 Rev. J. C. Burnell .
1864-67 Rey. David Wilson
» 1867-69 Rev. I. B. Aylsworth, D.D.
1869-71 Rev. J. D. Bell
1871-74 Rev. S. G. Stone, D.D.
1874-77 Rev. Bidwell Lane, D.D.
1877-79 Rev. C. S. Eastman
1879-81 Rev. George Hartley, D.D.
~ 1881-84 Rev. Stephen Card |
1884-87 Rev. J. P. Wilson, B.A.
1887-89 Rev. E. N. Baker, B.D.
1889 Rev. J. B. Clarkson, resigned through illness
1889-1892 Rev. C. O. Johnson ;
1892-94 Rev. J. J. Rae A
1894-97 Rev. D. O. Crossley A hin Ra
1897-1900 Rev. Caleb Parker
.
NAPANEE CHURCHES 267
1900-04 Rev. S. T. Bartlett
i 1904-08 Rev. J. R. Real
44 1908-11 Rev. W. H. Emsley
| I9gIt to the present, Rev. J. P. Wilson, B.A.
Napanee was originally but one of several posts of a Roman
“ Catholic mission comprising Adolphustown, Fredericksburgh, Napanee,
Richmond, and Deseronto. From the year 1845 to 1856 mass was occa-
sionally celebrated in the homes of John Walsh and’ Richard O’Brien,
who, with James Gleeson, undertook the building of the present stone
church in 1856; and although the congregation was small this faithful
trio persevered in the good work till they had erected the substantial
edifice which is a lasting memorial to their exertions.
From 1856 to 1860 Father Michael MacKay and Father McMehan
attended to the spiritual wants of the congregation, and were followed
by Father Brophy, who remained in charge until 1864. From 1864 to
1869 Father Browne was the first resident pastor, and during his short
incumbency many substantial improvements were made, notably the
finishing of the interior, the installation of new pews, the erection of an
altar, and the purchase of the present presbytery. The Rev. Father
Leonard, one of the most learned priests of the diocese, was appointed
in 1869, but owing to ill-health was forced to retire after a stay of five
years. Father McDonough came to Napanee in 1874, and won such love
by his unfaltering adherence to the duties of his sacred office and his uni-
form courtesy to all that it was to the deepest regret of all denominations
that he was transferred to Picton in 1889. His place was taken by Rev.
Father Hogan, who proved a worthy successor to Father McDonough,
and for fifteen years upheld the dignity of his profession, and at the
: Same time ingratiated himself into the hearts of all classes in the com-
: munity. The Rev. P. J. Hartigan took charge of the parish in 1904, fol-
‘lowing in the steps of his predecessors by ministering to the congrega-
tions of both Napanee and Deseronto.
In 1906 Archbishop Gauthier visited Napanee, with a view of car-
rying out the long contemplated division of the parish, which was hap-
pily effected by each congregation undertaking to support a pastor of its
own. Father Hartigan was left in charge of Deseronto, and Father T.
P. O’Connor was appointed to the new parish of N apanee. The congre-
gation has more than fulfilled the expectations of the Archbishop and,
besides maintaining their own pastor, have beautified and improved their
church under the guidance of the present pastor, who has proven him-
self to be a devout and scholarly gentleman, amiable and energetic. Dur-
ing his pastorate he has installed a set of beautifully executed Stations
’
¥
268 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
of the Cross, enlarged the auditorium of the church, erected a new
vestry complete in its appointments and a chancel adorned by artistic
memorial windows donated by Mr. John F. Walsh, and the estates of
Mrs. Ellen McNeil and Miss M. A. Blewett. A new altar of chaste
design and perfect workmanship completes the interior of this beautiful
church, in the decoration of which no expense has been spared.
| Major Vanalstine of Adolphustown was a Presbyterian and was
responsible for sending for the first minister of that faith who came to
this district. This was the Rev. Mr. McDowell, who came to Canada
in 1800 and settled in the township of Ernesttown; but preached at dif-
ferent points upon a circuit extending from Brockville to the head of the
Bay of Quinte. Of him Dr. Canniff wrote: “No man contributed more
than he to fulfil the divine mission ‘go preach’ and at a time when great
spiritual want was felt he came to the hardy settlers. The spirit of
christianity was by him aroused to no little extent, especially among those
who in the early days had been accustomed to sit under the teachings of
Presbyterians. He travelled far and near, in all kinds of weather, and
at all seasons, sometimes in a canoe or bateau, and sometimes on foot.
On one occasion he walked all the way from the Bay of Quinte to York,
following the lake shore, and swimming the rivers that could not other-
wise be forded.”
The Presbyterians were loyal to their church, and there were a
great many throughout the county: but they were scattered over the
whole territory, and not strong enough to build churches for the several
congregations; so, as a rule, they held their services in private houses,
school-houses, or any public hall that could be secured for the purpose.
Napanee was no exception to the rule, and this denomination was the
last in town to provide for themselves a place of worship.
The Presbyterian Church, a substantial stone structure forty-four
feet by sixty-five feet, was commenced on July 1st, 1864, and by the fol-
lowing spring the lower portion was ready for use by the congregation.
The dedicatory services of the basement took place on Sunday, March
12th, 1865. The Rev. John B. Mowat of Queen’s College preached in
the morning, the Rev. W. McLaren in the afternoon, and the Rev. Pat-
rick Gray in the evening. On Monday evening following the ladies held
their first tea-meeting, which was the forerunner of the regular annual
gatherings for which that congregation has become famous. The clergy-
man. in charge at the time was the Rev. John Scott, who had come to
Napanee some two years before, and before the building of the church
conducted services in the old Academy and afterwards in the town-
hall He was highly esteemed by all denominations ; and the commodious
REV. CYRUS R. ALLISON.
REV. PAUL SHIRLEY.
REV. JOHN SCOTT.
REV. FATHER BROWNE,
Pm i 4 «if ;
eae, ail ‘if
: a) ‘ Py hae : e - % nay s im . a Ss bail oY in
‘ i by ; a P i“ J } Pe | Rh, gue
» an fie : 4 &- Kd te ae
i. ae ye " waranne caUncHES | 2) eee
y Ee ’ ?
U ’
‘
< TOE psn: ws SO clas re
ance. “There was a halt in the building operations some time after the
dedication of the basement, and the main audience room was not com-
pleted until 1869, when it was opened for public worship by the Rev.
Dr. McVicar of Montreal. The following clergymen have in turn offi-
ciated in this church: Reverends John Scott, Alexander Young, Duncan
= McEachern, W. W. Peck, J. R. Conn, and Dr. Howard.
:
;
!
; ;
'
| e
'
|
.
a
r
. >
|
Wee ie
Si Sy
~ *-
TY, eee?
270 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XVIII
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS
The first newspaper published in this county was a five-column sheet
issued on November 2nd, 1850, by the Rev. G. D. Greenleaf. It was
called the Napanee Bee and, according to the announcement at the top
of the first page, it was “Devoted to the cause of Civil and Religious
Liberty, and to the promotion of Agriculture, Education, and Morality.”
The title extended across the top in a ribbon scroll, over a wood-cut of
the village which is probably the oldest picture of Napanee in existence,
and has been identified by many old residents as a remarkably accurate
representation. On the south side of the river are two large buildings,
a grist-mill and a brewery, and along the river front.are six other build-
ings scattered along the bank from the falls to West Street. On the
site of the big mill is a three-story building with a wharf extending from
it half-way across the river. There are three churches; the English on
Thomas Street near the Newburgh Road, the Wesleyan Methodist
Church on the site of Trinity Church, and the old White Church where
the Western Methodist Church now stands. There were only two build-
ings on Bridge Street west of West Street, one near the site of the
Methodist parsonage and the other across the street. There were three
small houses in the vicinity of Madden’s corner; but west of that not
a single house appears in the picture.
The third issue published on November 16th, is confined to two
pages ; and the editor apologetically craves the indulgence of his readers
for the appearance of the paper and by way of explanation states that
one of his printers had taken “French leave” and had stolen a watch
from another member of the staff, so that the paper had perforce been
neglected while the proprietor had been engaged in bringing the thief to
justice. There are two numbers of the Bee among the archives of the
Historical Society, and they compare very favourably with the ordinary
country newspaper of to-day both in subject-matter and appearance.
The Bee was printed from a press constructed by its portly editor, who,
in addition to printing the newspaper, conducted a cabinet shop, and
offered for sale all classes of furniture for cash or in exchange for lum-
_ ber or merchantable country produce. ‘
The editor waged a relentless war peel the ear traffic, a, the.
a ~e
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS — 271
subject. The Sons of Temperance were strongly organized throughout
the province, and the proceedings of the various lodges were given a
prominent place in the Bee. Mr. Greenleaf had the courage of his con-
victions and did not hesitate to express his views in good strong Eng-
lish when he thought the occasion warranted it, as will be seen from
the following editorial, which appeared in the issue of July 16th, 1852:
“Bath, though not large, is, nevertheless, a place of considerable com-
mercial interest and importance. Situated on the margin of the Bay of
Quinte, at or near its junction with the lake, eighteen miles above Kings-
ton and about two from Amherst Island, it becomes the central depot and
mart for the peninsular part of Adolphustown and Fredericksburgh, the
front of Ernesttown, and the above named Island. Having no water-
_power for mechanical purposes much of the business which would other-
wise centre here is drawn to other points. Still, Bath has its advantages,
and will steadily but slowly progress.
“At present it is suffering materially from a moral plague spot in its
very midst and which greatly cripples nearly every enterprise in the vil-
lage; and, to an extent, in the surrounding country. We speak of a
miserable, unlicensed groggery kept by one S , himself a filthy drunk-
ard. On a recent visit to Bath the writer drove up to the house, sup-
posing it to be an inn. The first salute was a bacchanalian song by a
gang of drunken rowdies in the bar-room. Next appeared at the front
door a bloated, red-faced, red-eyed hiccoughing specimen of Rum’s work
with a—Will ye—hic—will you ha—hic—have your horse put ou—put
out?’ Sorry that he had stopped there the writer began to wish for
better quarters; but being uncertain that his condition could be bettered
for the time being by removing, he thought to make a virtue of necessity
and so stopped. Going soon afterwards to look after his horse, he found
him hitched, with a lock of miserable hay so placed that the horse could
not reach it by three feet. A retreat was at once decided upon, and
another trial was made across the street at Hollisters. Here the horse
fared better. By the way, we believe that Mr. Nelson Hollister is the
most worthy of the patronage of the travelling public of any landlord
_in Bath. He has recently opened, is young, and appears to have some
conscience in respect to the rum part of his business; and in all but this
we can wish him success. Notwithstanding his knowledge of the Bee’s
opposition to the liquor traffic he gave his name as a subscriber.
“As for S——, it is certainly a matter of surprise that the good —
people of Bath will suffer him, in open violation of law and order, to
continue his moral and social nuisance in their very midst. Is there no
remedy? Is the stranger to be decoyed into this unauthorized house
272 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
where his beast will be defrauded and his own quiet disturbed? And -
will the people in whose faces this wrong is perpetrated quietly or pas-
sively give indemnity for the act? It is said that Mrs. S$ is an excel-
lent woman, and we believe it; but we cannot see as this should be a
sufficient excuse for his going ‘unwhipped of justice.’ But enough of
this.”
The most extensive advertiser in the Bee was James Grange “at
the sign of the Bottle and Mortar’; and accompanying his advertise-
ment were crudely executed wood-cuts, one of which pictured suffering
humanity in distressing attitudes, with outstretched arms pointing hope-
fully to the familiar sign of the fat, round bottle with the words
“Grange, Druggist” upon the side, surrounding a representation of a
mortar in the centre, with the wholesome motto of “Live and let live.”
E. A. Dunham announced to the public that he had a newly opened
assortment of fresh goods of almost every description that he was pre-
pared to dispose of in exchange for cash or wool. Robert Easton, “‘be-
tween the sign of the Blue Bottle and T. Kettle” solicited an early call
from his patrons, friends, and customers in need of bonnets, ribbons,
and muslin-de-laine, and intimated that wool, grain, butter, and farm
‘produce generally would be taken in exchange. Charles James was “pre-
pared to offer such as favour him with a call the best bargains ever
received in the way of broad-cloths, cassimeres, tweeds, plain and fancy
orleans” and other goods, including prunella boots, teas, and tobacco;
and would accept in exchange “Rye, Oats, Peas, Corn, and Shingles.”
‘Almost the only advertiser who did not express his desire to accept
produce in exchange for his stock-in-trade was Mr. B. C. Davy, barris-
ter and attorney-at-law. This is probably explained by the fact that he
enjoyed a monopoly in his particular line.
The patent medicines and proprietary remedies proclaimed their
wonderful cures through the columns of the Bee and the “Great Vege-
table Magic Pain Destroyer,” “The East India Hair Dye” and other nos-
trums occupied fully one half of the advertising space.
According to a census return published in the Bee in January, 1852,
the population of Lennox was 7,955, made up as follows: Adolphus-
town, 718, Fredericksburgh, 3,166, Richmond including Napanee, 4,071.
Napanee village contained at that time 1,020 souls.
Although the little paper persistently announced week after week
that it was “pledged to no party either political or religious,” and that
it intended ever to seek fearlessly to maintain an independent course
“unaw’d by influence and unbrib’d by gain” yet, when election time came,
it could buzz as loudly and sting as severely as the most partisan journal.
Besar.
¥ i
_THE_BANTLING.
NAPANER, SATERDIY, JANCARY §, 8858,
—
aac!
A
ae
=
Ser
ce
Caer S
mst
ln
rm ~ i
Su,
LASAVFAN FAMILY JOURNAL & LENOX & ADDINUTON- ADViTy
on
Sininy ATEN OA NPA ERTISENG
~
“Ri Pow
.
~ sere HUNGER, THIRST, “peaTH! Ew
aa ms
B |
+
4
i
Deporte,
vou when Curt
Ye edad
A WEEKLY POLITICAL, COMMERC TAL, LITERARY AND ADV ERTISING JOUR
~ TOL L NAPANEE, 8A SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1665.
eye rimer.
GENERAL ADVERTISER.
PROspp Ts
nisl
aes
a
eer eniery |
; ?
*Tee sly shots ver mod vw ej AS
a be
vn
~NAPANI EE BEAVER.”
“tie ‘Ree i Ex pre’ E
eco Exper oe
a
a
LENNOX AND ADDINGTON NEWSPAPERS.
>
s.
€
J
»
:
«
:
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS 273
\
Its appeal to the electors who were about to assemble in a few days at
Gordanier’s Inn in Ernesttown to nominate a candidate would hardly be
considered moderate even in our day:
“Up, then, ye electors! Ye real friends of ‘our Canada’ and true
conservators of religious equality and rational equal civil rights! Ye
supporters of Progress and Reform: up, up, and at your post!!! The
contest is not to be, we trust, as it should not, one of partisan and
favouritism, but of purely patriotic against selfish, of Christian against
sectarian principles. On the one hand will be arrayed the advocates of
religious preferences and exclusive rights ; the supporters of a stand-still-
and-do-nothing policy in relation to national improvements, and the
friends of sectarian multiplication, ad infinitum, with the attendant neces-
sary consequences of all such measures; and who thus labour to entail
upon this infant country all the curses of such anti-liberal and anti-
Reform principles.” ,
For nearly two years the reverend gentleman continued to preach
temperance through the columns of the Bee and periodically to apologize
to his readers for issuing a half sheet owing to the scarcity of paper,
until he finally suspended publication owing to the “very discouraging
and disadvantageous circumstances” under which he laboured.
A few weeks later, over the names of G. D. Greenleaf and C. Lowry,
appeared the prospectus of the Napanee Emporium, a seven-column
paper, which was in reality a revival of the Bee; but the proprietor
decided upon dropping that name and adopting the new one, “believing
it to be better adapted to the contemplated character of the paper.” The
change of the name and size of the paper were not accompanied by any
radical change in the tone and character of its reading matter. The
editor could not get away from his text; and even the strong temper-
ance element in the county looked for something more in a newspaper
than temperance lectures and the records of the doings of the various
temperance organizations, so it was not long before the Emporium was
laid to rest beside its elder brother, the Bee.
‘In the year 1854 the leading men of N apanee felt that the time had
arrived when the town and the surrounding country should no longer be
dependent for the news of the world upon the Kingston press, whose
columns were filled with attractive advertisements of the merchants of
that place seeking to divert the trade from Napanee. The first press
was purchased by Allan Macpherson. Robert Esson, B. C. Davy, and
a number of prominent men were induced to take stock in the venture;
| and the Napanee Standard was first published at the office of Alexander
_ Campbell over Macpherson’s store at the east end ‘of Dundas Street. It
274 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON :
was not long before Mr. Campbell relieved the other stockholders of
their shares and became the sole proprietor, with Mr. B. C. Davy as
editor. The latter gentleman wielded a versatile pen and never hesitated,
when it suited his purpose, to express his likes and dislikes. After Mr.
Campbell had opened his store opposite the Campbell House the print-
ing plant was moved into an old frame building next door where its pro-
prietor could conveniently exercise an oversight over the management.
When Mr. Davy assumed the editorship, at the princely salary of
$4.00 a week, he entered into an agreement with his employer to protect
him against libel actions. He had not filled the editor’s chair many
months before both himself and Mr. Campbell were defendants in a
libel suit brought against them by one Rombough, for some offensive
language which had appeared in the columns of the Standard from the
pen of the lawyer-editor. Before the trial took place Mr. O'Reilly,
counsel for the plaintiff, offered to withdraw the action if the defendants
would undertake not to publish anything further about Rombough. Davy
favoured a settlement upon these terms, and Solicitor-General Smith,
counsel for the defendants, also recommended it; but Campbell refused
to give the undertaking, with the result that the trial went on and the
defendants were mulcted in the sum of $50 and costs. Needless to say
the business relations between the proprietor of the Standard and its
editor were promptly terminated; instead of the friendship which pre-
viously existed there arose a bitter enmity, and the angry lawyer vented
his feelings through the columns of the Reformer, in which his former .
employer was styled a “petty tyrant” and the journal he himself had
once edited ‘‘a miserable rag.”
Mr. Campbell, however, continued its publication as the local, organ
.of the Conservative party, and never lost an opportunity to strike back
at his former editor, whose office was just across the street. These little
pleasantries did not tend to increase the popularity of the Standard,
which was sold in 1858 to Mr. Alexander Henry and Mr. Clinton A.
Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins retired from the partnership in the following year
in favour of Mr. T. S. Henry. The plant was removed to the upper
stories of the Henry Block on the north side of Dundas Street, where
Henry Brothers continued as sole proprietors until the suspension of
publication in 1885; at which time Mr. Alexander Henry was profitably
engaged in the paper business at Napanee Mills, and Mr. T. S. Henry
conducted the book store which he has continued to manage to the pre- _
sent day. ;
Among the journeymen who served their apprenticeship in the press-_
room of the Standard were the late William Templeton ane ce iss
SB? Asad Bq ise +“
Pata Sy
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS 275
Beeman, the founders of the Napanee Beaver. The Standard was well
named; and it is quite refreshing, even at this late day, to peruse its
editorials, which deal not only with issues of local interest but with the
greater questions affecting the whole country. Among the editors who
framed its policy was Mr. F. R. Yokome, the present managing editor
of the Peterboro Examiner.
Encouraged by the proprietor, who not only invited but sought the
views of prominent citizens upon all matters worthy of discussion in the
press, the correspondence column was one of its leading features.
Through this medium the opinions of the ablest men of the community
were presented to the public, evils needing correction were fearlessly
exposed, and a check was placed upon hasty municipal legislation. What
was deemed worthy of approval in the individual or body corporate was
highly commended, the public benefactor received his full share of
praise, and what is just as important, the evil-doer, no matter what his
station in life, was as unscathingly denounced. While this policy com-
manded the respect of the general public, it at times rendered the editor's
chair not quite as comfortable as might have been desired.
The Reformer was first published in the month of August, 1854,
by Messrs. E. A. Dunham and J. W. Carman. In a well written pros-
pectus, printed in the first few issues, the publishers announced that they
chose the Liberal policy, “because of its peculiar adaptation to the con-
stitution of our nature, and as best calculated to give operation and
effect to those progressive measures which originate in minds not meas-
ured and bounded by personal and selfish interests.” As its title indi-
cated and its prospectus declared it was the local organ of the Reform:
party, and threw down the gauntlet to the Standard, which was already
in the field as the champion of the rights of the Conservatives.
The Reformer contained some excellent editorials during the first
year, written by Mr. Dunham, who sold out in 1855 to a brother of his
junior partner; after which Carman & Brother were announced as pro-
prietors and J. W. Carman as editor and publisher. The new editor
proved himself as capable as his predecessor, and paid his respects to the
Index with such marked attention that the Newburgh journal charged
Mr. David Roblin with being the author of the castigations so freely
bestowed upon it. Those were the good old days, when the editors,
lacking other matter, devoted a column or two to holding their contem-
poraries up to ridicule; and as both the Standard and Index were pour-
ing hot shot into the office of the Reformer the latter was kept pretty
busy in repelling their attacks.
276 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
In glancing over an issue of July 25th, 1855, the conviction is forced
upon the reader that the same old wail has been going up from the over-
burdened ratepayers for sixty years. A correspondent writes: “Main
Street needs some six inches of fine broken gravel from one end to the
other, say ten feet wide, rounded up in the centre so as to turn off the
water, and then a nice covering of sand to make it passable at once; and
this should be done now, and not wait till all the money is expended on
the back streets where it is not half so much required.”
The Reformer was doomed to meet the fate of its predecessors;
and after a few eventful years its career was ended, the plant was
removed to Kingston, and the Standard had the field again to itself.
The Bantling was a small four-page three-column sheet which does
not appear to have been taken very seriously by the people of Napanee.
It made its first bow to the public as a regular newspaper on January
Ist, 1859; although a specimen copy was issued on Christmas Day of
the preceding week, in which it was announced that “The Bantling is
printed by the editor, edited by the publisher, published by the proprietor,
and proprieted by the Devil.”
In the prospectus which appeared in the free specimen issue over the
signature of Mr. T. M. Blakely, an agreeable literary mélange was
promised, out of all keeping with the size of the sheet, which, however,
he led his readers to believe would be doubled if he received proper sup-
port and encouragement. The editor could not be congratulated upon the
selection of a title for a paper which professed to serve the subscribers
weekly with the cream of domestic and foreign news. Although the
Bantling did not profess to espouse the cause of either political party,
one does not-need to peruse very far the few paragraphs devoted to local
news before he can make a comparatively safe guess that the editor was
not in full sympathy with the Conservatives, who swept everything
before them at the municipal elections which were reported in the second
issue. There was a rhymster who contributed to its columns; and in
the number containing the election returns each successful candidate’s
alleged speech is reported in rhyme. The council consisted of five mem-
bers, Messrs. MacPherson, Bartles, Grange, McGillivray, and Davy. Mr.
MacPherson’s speech is said to have been as follows:
“My heartfelt thanks to all this crew,
“Who have elected me is due;
“Although I’ve bought you cheap enough,
“With whisky, money, and such stuff, ;
“I give you notice, one and all,
“T’ve whisky now for sale on call.”
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS 277
Judging from the criticisms in the Bantling the Napanee Fire
Brigade could not have captured many trophies in 1859. Commenting
upon a fire which was described as calamitous, it said in its third issue:
“The Fire-engine and Hook and Ladder were on hand, but were in very
poor working order—the engine not having been worked since the fire
on the corner of Dundas and Centre Streets, which is about 18 months
ago, and the hooks having no ropes attached to them.”
The paper was not conducted upon lines calculated to win the sup-
port of the average reader; and it would have been a serious reflection
upon the intelligence of the citizens of Napanee if it has received, their
approval. During its short career not a single merchant availed himself
of the advertising space placed at his disposal. It contained very little
news, and the articles professing to deal with local topics were crude
attempts at humour, such as parodies on the Holy Scriptures and letters
from alleged correspondents supposed to be caricatures upon the lan-
guage and spelling of the loquacious countryman.
“Nothing in its life became it like the leaving it”; as its obituary
notice, which appeared in the twenty-eighth number, was the best article
published in its columns:
“It is our painful duty to record the last week of a Mr. Bantling,
who ‘breathed’ its last on July 16th, 1859; after a lingering sickness of
six months and twenty-one days. The remains of Mr. Bantling will be
removed from the office followed by its numerous mourners, to its final
rest. It is to be hoped that the shops will be closed when the proces-
sion is moving and a general mourning will be observed by all the citizens.
It is lamentable that one so young, just blooming into life, should be cut
off from the world; but disease seized him with an iron grasp and held
on till the last breath of wind reluctantly departed from his body.”
In the general election of 1863, in which Sir Richard Cartwright was
opposed by Mr. Augustus Hooper, all other issues gave way to the ques-
tion of the separation of the counties and the choice of a county town.
Mr. Hooper favoured Newburgh, and Sir Richard championed the
claims of Napanee. The Standard was placed in-an awkward posi-
tion and was forced to oppose the candidacy of the man, who, but for
the local issue, would have received its support. Mr. T. S. Carman had
anticipated the situation, and thinking the time opportune for the intro-
duction of a Reform newspaper, he accordingly established the
Weekly Express. It was a large ten-column four-page sheet, well
printed and edited, and received the liberal patronage of the business
men of the town. The first issue, which was published in 1862, made it
_ clear that its avowed purpose was to oppose the policy of the Conserva-
278 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
tive party, a course which it has followed with more or less success ever
since.
About ten years later Mr. Carman sought pastures new in a wider
field and sold out to Mr. T. W. Casey, who reduced the size to six
columns, increased the pages to eight, and changed the name to the
Napanee Express, with the motto “The greatest good to the greatest
number.” Mr. Casey understood thoroughly the newspaper business,
was an eloquent speaker and an easy writer, but above everything else,
was a most ardent supporter of the cause of temperance and lost no
opportunity to give his support to every measure and organization which
had as its purpose the suppression of the liquor traffic. The columns of
his paper afforded an excellent opportunity to lay before the public his
views upon a subject which was so near his heart, and every issue was
devoted more or less to the progress of the temperance cause. Such a
policy, however commendable, did not appeal to a large number of his
readers who did not share his views. After a few years he sold out to
Mr. John Benson, who discovered that the management of a newspaper
was a much more difficult task than he had bargained for; and it was not
long before Mr. Casey’s name again appeared on the front page as
proprietor.
In 1880 Mr. William O’Bierne purchased the plant and infused new
life into the paper, which had lost some of its former prestige. At no
time in its history has the Express so well fulfilled its purpose as a
moulder of public opinion as under the management of Mr. O’Bierne.
He fearlessly attacked what he believed to be detrimental to the interests
of the town and county, and just as fearlessly supported every movement
_which, in his opinion, was for the public good. The same policy pur-
sued by him in Western Ontario has made his paper, the Stratford Bea-
con, one of the brightest dailies in the province.
In 1886 Mr. J. C. Drewry assumed the editorship and became pro-
prietor, and, while he gathered many items of personal news from the
outlying districts in the county and condensed the general news of the
week, there was a falling off in the editorial column, which more than
anything else can give character to a newspaper. In 1890 he sold out to
John Pollard and E. McLaughlin, who conducted it in partnership for
four years, when the latter retired and Mr. Pollard became sole pro- 4
prietor. He died in 1904, leaving the business to his son Mr. E. J. Pol- —
yard, who has recently installed new presses with electric motor power Z
Ae which he issues weekly an eight-page sheet containing much in ter-
esting reading matter of a varied character. .
i‘
.
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS 279
In the month of May, 1864, Messrs. Dickens and Lamphier “having
been assured,” as they announced in their prospectus “of the support
of a large number both of the inhabitants of the town and surrounding
country” and feeling that the increasing business of the place would war-
rant the establishment of another paper, began the publication of the
Lennox and Addington Ledger. It was an eight-column paper, the larg-
est published in the county up to that date, and professed allegiance to
neither political party, its proprietors declaring that they would “at all
times be found doing battle on the side of whatever is for the welfare
and advancement of the province and more particularly of these coun-
ties.” Judging from the few issues which the writer has been privileged
to examine the Ledger was far superior to the ordinary country news-
paper of to-day. At the time of its publication the American War was
being bitterly waged; and the editorials dealing with the great issues
between the North and South reflect great credit upon the ability of the
editor who penned them.
All the editors of the local press of fifty years ago appear to have
felt the responsibility cast upon them as purveyors of news and moulders
of public opinion. They excluded from their columns the petty personal
items so common in the country press of to-day, and of no possible inter-
est to any one except the friends of the correspondents who have a
mania for seeing their names in print. The news of the day was pub-
lished in a concise form, all questions of public interest were intelligently
discussed, and the editors, striving to keep abreast of the times, gave
their readers the benefit of their views and awakened an interest in all
matters affecting the public welfare.
The Ledger merited a better fate than it met at the hands of the
business men of the town and the electors of the county generally. The
cleavage between the political parties, the Grits and Tories, was very
pronounced in those days. The Reformer had very little use for any-
thing of Tory origin, and the Standard could see very little virtue, if
any, in any policy advocated by the Grits. Both papers were well edited,
each hammered away at the other, and each had the support of the party
it represented. The ordinary subscriber was satisfied with one local
paper, and the paper receiving his exclusive patronage was the one whose
political views were agreeable to his taste. Little room was left for the
independent journal; and the enterprising young men who sought to
establish a foothold for the Ledger and to teach the free and independent
electors to think for themselves, found that they had undertaken a hope-
less task, and from want of support were forced to retire from the field
280 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
after a short but most respectable career as proprietors of one of the best
newspapers ever published in our county.
From the time the Rev. G. D. Greenleaf first appeared in the foals
istic field as the uncompromising foe of the liquor traffic some section of
the press of Napanee had kept up the fight, but no writer in the pro-
vince devoted himself quite so assiduously to the cause as the late Thos.
W. Casey. For many years he was Grand Secretary of the Independent
Order of Good Templars ; and it was quite natural, when that Order con-
cluded to publish an official organ, that Napanee should be its home
and that he should be selected as the Editor-in-chief.
In 1869 the Casket was first issued from the press of Henry & Bro.
It was an eight-page, five-column weekly journal with an artistic heading
and, to help out the subscription list, it took under its wing the Inde-
pendent Order of Foresters and the Sons of Temperance, each of which
organizations was allotted a certain amount of space under the control
of its own editor. The presence of so much ready matter in the press-
room of the Standard accounts in some measure for the frequency of
the stirring articles in support of temperance, which, week after week,
appeared for years in the columns of that paper. For fourteen years the
Casket waged a relentless war against the traffic; and it would be diffi-
cult to estimate the important part it played in moulding public opinion
and bringing about the temperance legislation of the past forty years.
In the month of January, 1870, Cephas I. Beeman published the
first issue of the Addington Beaver, a four-page six-column weekly paper,
the first and fourth pages of which were printed upon the presses of the
Pembroke Observer by George M. Beeman. The two inner pages, which
were devoted to advertisements and local news, were printed by the pro-
prietor at Newburgh. The paper was so well received by the public
that, after it had passed the experimental stage, Mr. George M. Beeman
and William Templeton purchased the plant, enlarged the paper to
seven columns, and moved it to Napanee, where the publication was con- |
tinued under the name of the Ontario Beaver. Later on the name was
again changed to the Napanee Beaver and the paper further enlarged by
the addition of four more pages. In 1892 Mr. Beeman sold out to his
partner, who continued as editor and proprietor until his death in 1908.
since which date it has been published by his son.
The Beaver has the unique record of being the only newspaper
organized in this county which, at some period in its history, has not
been obliged through financial distress, either to suspend publication or
pass into the hands of its creditors. It has now a circulation of nearly
four thousand, and is to be found in nearly every home in the | county. a ; |
ee ee —
P
%
eo eee ee, Se 0
par a @
.
;
NAPANEE NEWSPAPERS 281
Its popularity in recent years is in no small degree due. to the space that
for many years has been devoted to the early history of this county.
The “Old Time Records” from the pen of the late Thomas W. Casey
have not only been read with the deepest interest by those whose ances-
tors figured in the events so faithfully recorded, but have been eagerly
sought after and preserved by historians and archivists in all parts of
the province. It has a large staff of correspondents whose contributions
fill many columns; and while the items thus supplied may not always
possess much literary merit or be of interest to the ordinary reader they
have the desired effect of increasing the circulation.
On the eve of the general election of 1896 the journalistic firmament
of Ontario was enriched by a new luminary, the Napanee Star. ‘The
“Salutatory” which appeared in the first issue announced as follows:
“The Napanee Star makes. its first bow to the good people of the town
and county. It has come to stay. Its desire is to become a welcome
guest in every available household, bearing such reliable and impartial
news, and views of methods and things as may best instruct and interest
all with whom it may come into contact.
“The Publisher believes that there is room for an independent and
impartial journal, anxious and willing at all times to tell the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth regarding public affairs, no mat-
ter what party or clique may be harmed or helped by the fullest possible
information thus given. Mere party organs are prone to tell such things
as help their party, and carefully conceal such as may tend to injure.
From such, very one-sided and distorted views are obtained. The pur-
pose is to open the Star to a full, free, and fair discussion of what may
come within its range; giving both sides a fair opportunity, so far as its
limits will permit.”
The new competitor for the patronage of the public was owned and
published by Mr. Charles Stevens, who adopted as the motto of his
promising offspring “Equal Rights to all—Special Privileges to none.”
The raison d’etre for the sudden appearance of the Star could easily be
gathered from an address which appeared in the same issue over the
jname of the proprietor, in which he announced to the free and inde-
pendent electors of the riding of Lennox that, upon the solicitation of
a large number of friends, he had consented to allow his name to be
placed in nomination as an Independent candidate at the coming election.
In a three-cornered fight between Mr. Uriah Wilson, Conservative, Mr.
Edmund Switzer, Patron-Liberal, and Mr. Stevens, Independent, Mr.
Wilson headed the poll; but the Star, although it had failed in ‘its pur-
pose to secure for the publisher a seat in Parliament, contrary to the
a
282 | HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON ~ “oe
expectations of many, remained in the field as an independent journal. Si
It was a spicy five-column little sheet which catered ‘to no particular 7
party or class; and as was the desire of the publisher as announced in
his “Salutatory” it was a welcome guest in many households in the
county. From the same cause that produced the premature demise of
the Ledger, the Napanee Star, after a brief and almost brilliant career,
suffered a total eclipse and ceased to twinkle in 1900.
i
a
Ld
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH ~~ 283
CHAPTER XIX
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH
In the Proclamation of King George III bearing date July 24th,
1788, by which the first four Districts of Upper Canada were defined,
Camden was named as the last of the townships making up the District
of Mecklenburgh, and was the only township in the District not fronting
upon a body of water. This circumstance largely cut it off from com-
munication with the other townships and was a serious drawback to its
settlement; for even in the townships upon the bay and river the rear
concessions were avoided and considered undesirable. But as room had
to be found for the newcomers they kept gradually moving northward,
and this, one of the best agricultural townships in the province, soon
came in for its share of the increasing population. It was named after
Charles Pratt, Earl Camden, Viscount Bayham, Attorney-General under
Lord Chatham in 1757, raised to the peerage in 1765, and afterwards
Lord Chancellor of England.
By the statute of 1798, dividing the province into counties it was
designated as one of the original townships of the counties of Lennox
and Addington and was called Camden East, to distinguish it from a
township of the same name in the county of Kent.
While the early settlers of Camden were sturdy men and true who
merited all the praise that has been bestowed upon them by their
descendants and the local historians, yet they did not undergo the same
hardships that the pioneers of the front townships were called upon to
suffer. They probably toiled just as hard in clearing their farms and
building their log cabins; but they were provided with better appliances
and could obtain supplies of a better quality and with less inconvenience
than the U. E. Loyalists. The older townships were well organized,
courts of justice were established, schools and churches were built, and
communication with other parts of Canada was comparatively easy
before the settler began to take up land in Camden. They were for the
most part the sons and daughters of the pioneers of the front townships,
who moved farther back when there were no more lands to be had in the
front.
It is said by one authority, the Rev. W. Bowman Tucker: “David
284 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
became the beginning of Newburgh. His location was on the hillside in
the north end of the village on the west side of the present Main Street
and opposite the present Aylesworth homestead.” ‘This David Perry was
a son of Robert Perry, one of the first U. E. Loyalists of Ernesttown.
The date of this old building is inferentially fixed about the year 1820;
but this cannot be correct, as John Gibbard’s mill was built six or seven
years earlier than this and a dwelling probably accompanied it, and
Albert Williams settled at Camden East as early as 1804.
As we go north, or more properly speaking north-east up the
Napanee River the first falls we meet after leaving the town are at q
Strathcona. This hamlet has had a chequered career and has changed 4
its fortunes oftener even than it has changed its name. In the early J
twenties of the nineteenth century Adam Bowers built a mill at the foot }
of the rapids, and the place was for many years known as Bowers’ Mills. |
>
é
bY
~
Adam was a Lutheran and brought his children up in the same faith;
and his son John built a stone church upon his farm at the Mills. The
deacons of this church, according to the only record of it preserved, 4
were Samuel Taylor, John Bowers, and Jehiel Brisco, and the member-
ship consisted of the deacons and Charles K. Cook, Joseph Lockwood,
James Lockwood, Harriet Bowers, Joshua Kay, ‘James Leroy, Martha
Brisco, Andrew I. Johnson and wife, Mrs. Rachael Lott, Widow Lott,
Sr., Mrs. Elias Huffman, Artemas Grange, Fallura Granger, and Widow
Granger. The tombstone of Adam Bowers in the old Lutheran burying-
ground has escaped the general desecration which has wiped out nearly
all the old landmarks, and may be seen to-day with its simple epitaph:
“In memory of Adam Bowers
who departed this life, Nov. 16, 1830.
Aged 69 years.” —
To this an admiring friend, Abraham Lott, an uncle of the late
George Lott, added the following inscription:
“An honest man here lies at rest ae
“As e’er God with his image blest, . 7
“The friend of man, the friend of truth,
“The friend of age, and guide of youth. iz
. “Few hearts like his with virtue warmed, _ ie
“Few heads with knowledge so informed. S ae
“Tf there is another world, he lives in bliss,
“If there is none, he made the best of this.
“Here beneath these earthly towers
_ “Lie the remains of Adam Bowers. ‘ial
¥ a A. rere
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 285
The place was of very little consequence under the Bowers and did
not begin to assume any importance until about sixty years ago, when
A. D. W. Garrett & Co. purchased the water-power and began lumber-
ing operations on a large scale. The firm was composed of A. D. W.
Garrett, Samuel H. Cook, and Arnold Harris. They were all Ameri-
cans from Ballston Spa, near Saratoga Springs, New York. They
exported the product of the mill to the United States and paid their
workmen in Yankee money. Everything about the place seemed to have
a Yankee flavour, and the village which sprang up about the falls was
popularly known as Yankee Mills. Cook and Harris had no personal
supervision over the industry, which was managed by the senior part-
ner Garrett, who had an office in Napanee in the east end of the build-
ing occupied by A. C. Davis in East Ward as a general store. About
the year 1855 his body was found at the foot of the falls nearly opposite
his office, and the manner of his death was an inexplicable mystery
which was never cleared up. He was known to have had large sums of
money about him and, as none was found upon his person, it was gen-
erally supposed that he had met with foul play; but there was no clue to
indicate how or at whose hands he had met his untimely death.
The friends of Garrett looked about for a suitable person to look
after their interests in the partnership, and the remaining partners were
as deeply interested in securing a competent person to manage the mill.
Mr. Reuben Wright of Ballston Spa was sent over to investigate and
protect the estate of his unfortunate nephew. He took up his residence
at the Mills and displayed such aptitude that, with the consent of all
parties interested, he was appointed manager. He exercised a general
oversight over the timber limits, the getting out of the logs, and the mar-
keting of the products, and gave his son, Hiram M. Wright, the contract
of sawing the lumber. Another son, now our esteemed townsman, Reu-
ben G. Wright, was book-keeper from 1862 to 1867. A few years after
the new order of things was established, Harris died and a brother-in-
law of Cook, by the name of Cochran, took his place in the firm, which
was thereafter known as Cook and Cochran. In 1861 a post-office was
established, and a new name, Napanee Mills, was selected, one that from
its very inception gave rise to confusion.
In the early seventies the only survivor of the original partners died,
and Cochran sold out the mill to H. M. Wright & Co. and the timber
limits to the Rathbun Co. H. M. Wright & Co. organized the Napanee
Paper Company, composed principally of Napanee gentlemen, conspicu-
ous among the number being Mr. W. F. Hall, the first Secretary, John
R. Scott, and Alex. Henry. The Paper Company tore down the saw-
286 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
mill and erected on its site a paper-mill, which for many years proved a
very profitable investment. After the Paper Company was fairly
launched the Wrights turned their attention to a new industry, the raw
material for which was found upon the old Bowers’ farm which they
had purchased. Extensive strata of water limestone well suited for the
manufacture of water-lime were discovered in the ridges a few yards
from the river. Quarries were opened up, and the stone was hauled to
Napanee to the old Lane Mill at the foot of Robert Street, where it was
converted into water-lime.
The business was carried on for some ten years, when the Rathbun
Company purchased the Bowers’ farm, which was also found to have
large deposits of clay peculiarly adapted to the manufacture of Portland
Cement when combined with marl, which had been discovered in unlim-
ited quantities near Marlbank. A cement plant was erected, and enlarged
from time to time, dwellings for the workmen were built and a large
number were removed from Napanee, where they were no longer
required for the forgotten employees of the defunct glass factory. The
marl was hauled in from the north by the train-load; and the Star Brand
of Portland Cement manufactured on the old Bowers’ farm acquired
reputation for excellence second to none on the continent. These were
the days of prosperity for Napanee Mills, whose weekly wage bill
exceeded that of any village upon the river. The place wore an air of
contentment, every house was tenanted, the large boarding-houses were
filled to their utmost capacity, the corner store did a thriving business,
and the Newburgh merchants threw out tempting baits to secure a por-
tion of the trade of this busy village two miles down the river.
In the course of a few years the local supply of raw material for
the paper-mill became exhausted, other mills with unlimited capital and
more favourably situated entered the field, dividends were reduced, and
the Company was wound up. The Cement Company was taken over by a
larger concern which transferred the business to Marlbank, the plant
was dismantled, the workmen’s houses became untenanted, many were
sold and removed, and but few of those that remain are now occupied.
The store has been burned to the ground; and the once promising village
has a most cheerless prospect before it. After the South African war
the name was again changed to Strathcona, in honour of Canada’s High
Commissioner to London, who gave $1,000 to a public library for the
village.
No one is better qualified to speak of the past and present of New-
burgh than Mr. George Anson Aylesworth, who was born in the village,
has studied carefully its history, and followed closely its progress. In
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH ; 287
the second volume of Papers and Records of the Lennox and Addington
Historical Society appeared a well written article from his pen upon his
native village, which with his kind permission is herewith reproduced:
“Tt is not quite the same with Newburgh as with that English vil-
lage celebrated in the Cornhill Magazine:
‘Our Village is unhonoured yet in story,
‘The present residents its only glory’
for former residents constitute mainly such fame and ‘glory’ as render
the annals of Newburgh interesting.
“To begin with, it has the distinction of being the largest incorpor-
ated village in Ontario, its area being five and one-half square miles.
Camden township bounds it on the east, north, and west, Ernesttown on
the south. It is twelve miles northward from the shore of the Bay of
Quinte at Bath; seven miles up-stream north-easterly from where the
Napanee River sinks to the navigable level of the Mohawk branch of
that same Bay of Quinte.
“The valley of the Napanee River from Yarker to the Bay, fourteen
miles, is very picturesque as well as fertile. The late Dr. Grant, who
had seen the sights of that half of the world that lies between Cali-
fornia and the Danube, used to declare that he knew of no drive of
more varied beauty than the vale of the Napanee from Colebrook or
Yarker, down.
“The village proper is in the centre of the large area above men-
tioned, that is, at the intersection of the King’s highway from Bath to
Tamworth, (Main Street), with the concession line between the first
and second concessions of Camden township.
“The Napanee River, about one quarter of a mile east of Main
Street, divides into two branches, which re-unite about an equal dis-
tance west of Main Street, thus inclosing an island of about seven acres
in area. Near the centre of this island is a cave, in former times occa-
sionally explored by over-bold school boys, who, each with a piece of
candle and matches in plenty, used to descend into and crawl through
this hole in the ground.
“They brought back tales of inscriptions and mysterious wonders in
underground compartments, that excited much envy and enlargement of
eye among the more timorous who dared not squeeze in, for fear they
should be unable ever to squeeze out again. Of late years the entrance
to this cave has become stopped up, and few village mothers are anxious
for its re-opening.
-- “This double river affords no less than thirteen good water privileges
within less than one third of a mile. These have been valued and
288 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
made of great utility in times past; in these later electric days the time
of their appreciation is again dawning.
“Tradition preserves the names of the first settlers: William Van
Pelt Detlor and Benjamin Files, two sturdy cousins, who took up land
in 1822, south of the river. David Perry, in 1824, built the first saw-
mill here, and John Madden, in 1825, another. Of course, in those
remote well wooded times, a saw-mill was the first thing the settlers
most urgently needed,—after a tavern.
“About a mile and a half south of the border of Newburgh stood
Switzer’s Chapel, older than which was but one other Methodist meet-
ing-house in Upper Canada. It was erected about 1826, and I have
heard the late Mr. Mitchel Neville say that at its erection, he, being a
boy of eleven years, was given charge of the grog-jug to carry it about
among the good old Methodists of that neighbourhood who were there
at the ‘raising’—teetotalism not yet having been invented. With pro-
priety may Switzer’s Chapel be mentioned herein; for the skilfully
framed timbers, and some of the old windows, themselves of the genu-
ine original building thereof, stand now in Newburgh village, a new
brick church having been built on the Switzer site some years since.
“In 1825, my grandfather with one of his brothers, paying a visit to
their uncle, David Perry, who lived north of the river, had to ride their
saddle horses from their home near Bath around by way of Napanee,
and:so on up the river, there being then no bridge at Newburgh.
“Tn 1826, this Mr. Perry built a grist-mill, which two years later he
sold to Samuel Shaw, who was the village’s first merchant.
“1831 saw Madden’s grist-mill established; it served the public till
Beeteo ved by fire in 1902.
. “John Black started a tannery in 1832.
“And so the village grew; stores, axe factories, carding-mills, car-
riage, and agricultural implement works.
“The first name of the place was ‘The Hollow,’ there being hills
on every side. Soon, in compliment to the business abilities and enter-
prise of its inhabitants, some genius dubbed it ‘Rogues’ Hollow.’ Pub-
lic appreciation of the fitness of things fastened the name. The grow-
ing town at last grew restive under such a title, and it became time for
a change.
“Of the village in that day one of the men of fenced was the doc- a i
tor. Isaac Brock Aylesworth was born near Bath, December 4th, 18
At the request of his mother’s father, Robert Perry, he was named
General Sir Isaac Brock, who, in October of 1812, had
at ee Educated at Bath Academy, and at New
>, ea!
.
SS
etl) ee}
>i
we
tA.
THE ACADEMY. NEWBURGH.
NAPANEE.
THE ACADEMY.
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 289
into ‘The Hollow’ in 1836. During the troubled years, 1837 and 1838,
he was living at Napanee, but appears to have returned to N ewburgh
early in 1839. When going to and from New York he had seen New-
burgh on the Hudson river. Like “The Hollow,’ it lies under and upon
the terraced sides of hills, and so it came about that the doctor gave its
present name to Newburgh.
“With the late Robert F. Hope and George Eakins, the doctor had
much to do with the establishment of Newburgh Academy, the exact
date of whose opening seems ‘shrouded in the mists of antiquity.’ Dr.
Hodgins, the historiographer of the Department of Education in Ontario,
once told me: ‘Your relative (the doctor) was active in the founding of
Newburgh Academy.’
“In the first volume of ‘Documentary History of Education in
Upper Canada,’ by J. George Hodgins, M.A., published in 1894, pre-
fatory remarks, (pages III-IV), we find: “The celebrity of the Ernest-
town or Bath Academy may have been increased from the fact that at it
was chiefly educated by his father,—its master—a man so eminent in his
profession and so distinguished in the history of Upper Canada as was
Marshall Spring Bidwell, a gifted member of the House of Assembly in
its early days, and its Speaker for some time.’ ;
~“*Then the success of the Newburgh Academy was noted in our
own times, and in it, as one of its latest Principals, the Rev. Dr. Nelles
first learned those lessons in the art of teaching and government which
he afterwards turned to such excellent account, as the gifted President
for so many years of Victoria University’ . . . (page V) ‘Anim-
ated by the same spirit as possessed these early colonists, the U. E. L,’s
established schools of a superior class early in the century in the chief
centres of their settlements, such as Kingston, Cornwall, Bath, York,
St. Catharines, and afterwards at Newburgh. Soon a Grammar School
was established in every district?’ . . . . (Vol. V, p. 128) ‘Ina
further report to the Midland District Council the Education Committee
ele recommended that a Model School be established in the Vil-
lage of Newburgh, styled a Township Model School, and that the Super-
intendent of that Township be recommended to establish the same.
Kingston, May 18th, 1844. | (Sig.) Anthony Denike, Chairman.’
“Dr. Nelles was Principal of Newburgh Academy in 1846. In the
foregoing extract he is spoken of as ‘one of its latest Principals,’ which
would seem to indicate that this school was not a very new or recently
established imstitution in 1846. Also, be it observed, that Newburgh
Academy has mention among the first six Grammar Schools to be estab-
5 ;
lished in Upper Canada.
290 - HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“My father says he saw Newburgh first in 1843, and the Academy
was then an establishment not regarded as a novelty. On the other
hand, it seems unlikely that a village that consisted mostly of saw-mills
in 1825, and was as yet without a bridge, whose first merchant began
business in it in 1828, it would be doing well for those pre-railroad days,
if at the end of a decade it had established a school, let alone an Aca-
demy. 1839 seems, on the whole, the most probable date. Although
those were the days when ‘lickin and larnin’ went hand in hand, still
it is hard to believe that there is any hidden allusion to the Academy in
the statement that John Black started a tannery in 1832.
“Searching the old files of the Christian Guardian, (first published
in 1828 at Kingston, and soon removed to muddy Little York), if haply
therein I might find some advertisement or other mention of the begin-
ning of Newburgh Academy, it happened to me,—although unsuccessful
: : " 4
in my researches, yet,—like as Abraham Cowley expresses it:
‘The search itself rewards the pains;
; things well worth his toil he gains;
And does his charge and labour pay
With good, unsought experiments by the way.’
“These informing glimpses were vouchsafed to me:
. ‘Napanee, January 26th, 1841.
To the Editor of the Christian Guardian,—
In my last communication I made mention of a meeting at New-
burgh. I do consider this to have been one of the most important meet-
ings of the kind I ever attended. The heathen name of this place was
‘Rogue’s Hollow,’ the Christian name is Newburgh. It is new in many
respects. It was once drunken, it is now sober, it was once wicked, it is
now to a very great degree reformed. This change commenced some
eighteen months ago, in the formation of a Society on the Total Abstin-
ence principle.
(Sgd.) C. R. ALLISON,’
‘April 7th, 1841.
‘Rev. John Ryerson’s Journal:—On Wednesday at six o’clock, we
held a meeting in what is called the Switzer neighbourhood, a piace 4
twenty miles distant from Adolphustown. This is a neighbourhood in —
the back part of Ernesttown, embracing the most numerous and wealthy
body of Methodists of any country place I know of within the bounds of —
the Province, the inhabitants benergls are a bight si
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 291
industrious and respectable people. The missionary meeting which was
very numerously attended, was a very poor one, made up of long dry
speeches, and a thin collection,—subscriptions and all only amounted to
some £14, whereas they were well able to have given £40
The evening after we were at Switzer’s, we held a meeting in the Vil-
lage of Newburgh, and a most interesting and profitable festival it was.
Newburgh, which lies on the Napanee River, about six miles above the
village of Napanee, is a very thriving business place, of a population of
200 souls. The Village is surrounded by a wealthy, flourishing coun-
try. Our church is the only place of public worship in it; indeed the
inhabitants are mostly Methodists, or Methodistical in their sentiments.
The cause of temperance here seems to triumph over everything, the
great body of the people are teetotalers, and you may suppose that with
such a society of Methodists and class of citizens, and on the eve of a
powerful and extensive revival of religion, we could not but have a
noble Missionary meeting, and so it was, the church was literally cram-
med with respectable people. Dr. Aylesworth took the chair and opened
the meeting by a very suitable address, and after the speaking was
through, he introduced the subscription by signing £2. His liberal
example was soon followed with several subscriptions of a like sum,
and then for less sums, until the whole amounted to the handsome sum
of £34 3s. 3d.’
“In-July, 1908, just behind the Library Rotunda on Parliament Hill,
Ottawa, I heard my father say, ‘When I first saw this spot it was all
covered with pine stubs. That was in the year 1855, and I was sent
here to By-town, as it was called then, to attend Grand Lodge, as dele-
gate from Newburgh Division, Sons of Temperance.’
“But Newburgh had an organized Society of Teetotalers much
earlier in the century, for in the autumn of 1839, at the teetotaler’s din-
ner held in the tavern, when the plum pudding with plenty of appro-
priate sauce was served, a wag of a brother arose, and ‘begged leave to
move that no brother having any regard for the pledge be served with |
more than one swill pail full of this brandy sauce!’
“Passages from the Christian Guardian already quoted, indicate
how strong in the early days was Methodism in Newburgh. In 1856
was begun, and in October, 1858, was dedicated a most commodious
Stone church, by the Wesleyan branch of that body. In 1862 the
_ Methodist Episcopal congregation built a frame church in the northern
_ Part of the village. A few years later it was burned to the ground, and
_a little afterward was erected the stone church now owned by the Pres-
rians. The Anglican church, also of stone, was dedicated in 188r.
292 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
From an interesting account of the dedication of the new Wesleyan
edifice, and a description of the building published in the Christian
Guardian of November 3rd, 1858, and subscribed ‘G. Dorey,’ the two
following sentences are taken: ‘Though but a small community, our
Newburgh friends have erected a House of Worship unequalled by any
village of equal size and resources in the Province, and which would not
disgrace any of its cities’ . . . . “The building is heated by two hot
air furnaces, and lighted by the coal-oil lamp, which for cheapness,
cleanliness, and brilliancy seems likely to supersede the present modes of
illumination, gas excepted.’ We catch here a vivid glimpse of the old
burgh by candle-light.
“In 1858-9, the village achieved municipal incorporation, Augustus
Hooper being the first Reeve. He, in the County Council of Frontenac,
Lennox and Addington, assisted in the passing of the ‘By-law No. 99
for erecting the Village of Bath and neighbourhood into an incorporated
village, by the same name,’ (Passed, 23rd Sept., 1859). Bath is more
ancient than Newburgh in some respects, but it doth not appear that it
is entitled to be any bigger-feeling.
“In the minutes of the County Council of Frontenac, Lennox and
Addington, under date of January 27th, 1857, we find the following per-
sons were appointed Grammar School trustees: ‘For Newburgh, C. H.
Miller, Esq., reappointed, and R. F. Hope, Esq., in place of Dr. Ruttan;
and Allen Caton in place of the Rev. P. Shirley, deceased.’
“Under date of April 8th, 1857, ‘At 2 p.m., the Council resumed
and proceeded to the appointment of local superintendents of schools,
as follows, viz.:—Upon motion of S. Warner, seconded by Mr. Perry,
Joseph Parker for Camden.’ This is none other than the father of Sir
* Gilbert Parker. At that time Mr. Parker, Sr., resided at Camden East,
_where Sir Gilbert was born. The father of Sir Gilbert’s mother was
the late George Simmons, Esq., who for a long time was a citizen of
Newburgh. At that same session of the County Council Mr. Whelan
brought up the memorial and report of the Trustees of the Newburgh
Model School. Finally we find in the Report of the Committee on Fin-
ance this clause,—‘Your committee having examined the report of the
Newburgh Model School would recommend that the usual annual grant
of £50 be continued to that institution for the present year.’
“The main line of the Grand Trunk Railway was at first surveyed
and located up the valley of the Napanee River as far as Yarker, and
thence towards Kingston. But from this path of rectitude the railway
was deflected by ‘graft’ and ‘influence.’ ,
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 293
“We have seen that the late Dr. Nelles was at one time Principal
of Newburgh Academy. Newburgh was the first Methodist circuit
travelled by the Rev. Chancellor Burwash, A.D. 1861.
“Prince of Wales Lodge, No. 146, G.R.C., A. F. & A. M., was
organized at Newburgh in March, 1861; and its first Junior Warden
was William Van Pelt Detlor, who was one of the two ‘Primitive great
grandsires’ of the ancient burgh,
“A County Agricultural Exhibition building was erected in 1864,
upon the south hill of Newburgh. Therein annually a good show was
held, till Harrowsmith in 1892, snatched the exhibition from the village
unawares, and left its ‘Palace’ desolate,—an unneighbourly act, which
Tamworth a few years later avenged by swooping down upon the annual
meeting at Harrowsmith and returning to her northern fastness trium-
phant with the spoil!
“In those bygone days, 1856-66, the great American Travelling
Circus frequently pitched its temporary tent upon Newburgh’s vacant
lots.
“One of the first cheese factories in Canada was opened in New-
burgh in 1864. It is ‘still doing business upon the old stand,’ and its
monthly dividends are much admired and appreciated.
“In 1865, Newburgh became the place of holding the Fourth Divi-
sion Court in Lennox and Addington, Isaac J. Lockwood being Clerk,
Homer Spencer, Bailiff, and the first suitor, Robert Forsythe Hope.
“It may be that matches matrimonial are made in heaven, but in
the early sixties, when I was a small boy, going home from school, I
have lingered many a time to watch the process of manufacture of the
hand-made lucifer matches, carried on by a company of men, women,
and boys in the ‘Irish-town’ suburb of Newburgh.
“From Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to N ewburgh, in 1870, came the
Thomson family, and established paper-mills. Later, a short distance
down the river from N ewburgh another large paper-mill was erected,
and still later, at a less distance up the river from the village, a third
group of paper-mills was established by the same people.
“In 1876, the bridge carrying Main Street, Newburgh over the
larger branch of the Napanee River, was swept away. The village
replaced it with a new wooden structure which lasted till in 1908, the
County Council of Lennox and Addington at the suggestion of the High
Court of Justice obligingly built a new village bridge of iron and con-
“1884 made Newburgh happy with a real railway.
>
294 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“Sept. 7th, 1887, a Trojan conflagration swept through and across
the village, and without doubt, would have effaced it utterly, but for the
arrival (thanks to the railway) of Napanee’s fire-engine and brigade.
Eighty-four buildings were burned to the ground, comprising every shop
or store of any sort, and many dwellings. Twice before and twice since
has Newburgh suffered grievously from fire, but 1887 was by far the
“worst. In 1864 Lake’s carriage shops and the surrounding buildings
went up in flames in the night time. In January, 1872, the Academy
building was gutted by fire. While the new building was being built
the Grammar School found a habitation in the basement of the Method-
ist church, and the public school in the hall of the Division Sons of Tem-
perance. In 1902, the Madden grist-mill and Stickney’s foundry and
agricultural implement works were burned, and finally,—it is to be
hoped’ finally—in 1908, there was a more than sufficiently destructive
blaze, for the second time checked and extinguished, not 4 moment too
soon, by the ‘Napanee Fire Brigade.
“In the latter years of the decade between 1890 and 1900, Newburgh
became celebrated among villages for electric lights, profusion of
patriotic flags, and high taxes.
“The Methodist church built in 1856-8, was planned large in order
to accommodate the expansion, at that time not unreasonably expected.
But in common with nearly all other Ontario villages and smaller towns,
growth has been slow, chiefly owing to the opening of the vast ‘last,
best West.’ This needlessly large church was adorned with a large pipe
organ in 1899, the gift of the late John Shibley, to honour the memory
of his parents.
“The twentieth century has brought to the village long stretches of
cement pavement, also a fire-engine and volunteer company; but as yet
we worry along without any lock-up, stocks, pillory, or policeman.
“Travellers note the uncommon ‘tone’ of the town, traceable directly
to the Academy, to which the brightest young folk from the surround-
ing townships flock like doves to the windows. Newburgh is not large
enough to afford to these ‘boarders’ much distraction, and on the other
hand there is little opportunity for any boy or girl to go far wrong in so
small a community, without being both noticed and checked in time.
“The Academy is the ancient glory and the present pride of the com-
munity. Established when the community was very young, we find it ;
flourishing under the governance of a Presbyterian minister, the Rev.
Mr. Wightman, in the years immediately following the subsidence of |
the Rebellion (1837-8). The words of Dr. Hodgins have been quo
already concerning the Rev. Dr. Nelles and Newburgh Academy. —
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 295
early as 1844 the Academy became a Model School. After Dr. Nelles’
promotion, Mr. David Beach was Head-master. In his day the annual
examination and exhibition of Newburgh Academy was looked forward
to by the whole country side as almost a local Olympic. Partitions so
built as to make the operation easy were entirely removed, and the
whole upper flat of the large new building (whose first occupation the
Index dates at 1853), was thus thrown into one huge hall. The hall
would be filled to its capacity for three successive days with the rela-
tives and friends of the ‘scholars’ delighted to attend the public examin-
ations, dialogues, essays, orations, spelling matches, addresses, and dis-
tribution of prizes,
“After Mr. Beach came the Rev. William Lewin, B.A., as Principal.
In 1906 I saw the Rev. gentleman at Napanee. The hale old man,
upwards of eighty-two years of age, was laughingly recalling how he
resigned the Head-mastership of Newburgh Academy in 1863, because
of ‘broken health.’
“John Campbell, M.A., from Victoria University, followed Mr.
Lewin, teaching till 1871. It was in his day that, in all, between a dozen
and a score of youths from the Bahama Islands came to be educated at
Newburgh Academy. The Rev. Mr. Cheesbrough wrote from Nassau,
New Providence, Bahama Isles, to the Rev. E. Ryerson, Chief Super-
intendent of Education, asking him to recommend a good school, in a
suitable locality, etc., whereto boys might be sent for education. Mr.
Cheesbrough stated that as suitable schools in the West Indies were not
to be had, and as sending their sons to England was more costly than
satisfactory, and sending them to the United States would be exposing
them to learn too much, several white gentlemen of Nassau had in view
the education of their sons in Upper Canada. Chief Superintendent
Ryerson recommended Newburgh Academy and John Campbell, M.A.
The Southern youths came, and they revolutionized young Newburgh,
“After Mr. Campbell, other distinguished Principals of Newburgh
Academy have been: A. McClatchie, M.A., Mr. Carlyle, (nephew of
Thomas Carlyle, the prober of shams), P. L. Dorland, Chas. Wynn-
Williams, H. L. Wilson, now of John Hopkins’ University, and D. A.
Nesbitt, since Inspector of Public Schools.
“Mitchell’s Directory, published in Toronto 1865, affords us this
glimpse: ‘Newburgh possesses a large and elegant academy, where the
_ higher branches of an English and Classical education are taught. The
Common school is in the same building, under the charge of H. M.
=
TK tal OC
,on the Alaska boundary question and his administration of the Depart-
296 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
“One of the earlier Inspectors of Grammar Schools, in his report
to the Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada, discusses
the advisability of extending degree-conferring powers to Newburgh
Academy and to some other early schools of equal efficiency.
“The High School Act of 1891, by providing that County Councils
should contribute proportionately to the support of High Schools where
county pupils receive education, worked a great benefit to Newburgh
Academy, relieving a small and unfortunate village community of a
portion of the heavy and long and patiently borne financial burden of
its maintenance.
“Newburgh deserves well of this country for its Academy’s sake.
Tt has given to the churches a great host of eminent and distinguished
reverend gentlemen, of school teachers beyond computation, and of
physicians far too many to be named. Upon each of the three con-
tiguous counties composing the old Midland District, Frontenac, Len-
nox and Addington, and Hastings, Newburgh Academy has conferred
its Judge upon the bench. Of other learned lawyers and able statesmen,
orators and politicians a multitude——who shall number them? And of
these last, every man a patriot.
“In all seriousness, the Village of Newburgh, in its ‘sequestered
vale,’ merits an ample wreath of praise, for ‘it is the essence of justice
to render to every one that which is due.’”
Among the learned lawyers who claim Newburgh as their birth-
piace, Mr. Aylesworth, if his modesty had not stood in his way, might
have made especial mention of one who not only attained the well-
merited reputation of being the leader of the Ontario Bar, but won the
esteem and gratitude of all his countrymen by his courageous attitude
ment of Justice in the late Liberal administration. Newburgh is justly
proud of the Honourable Sir Allan Aylesworth, K.C.M.G., brother of
the author of the foregoing article, and son of one of Lennox and Add-
ington’s grandest old men, the venerable John B. Aylesworth.
Newburgh, at different periods in the history of the village, has
supported no less than four weekly newspapers, or to be more accurate,
has failed to support them; as each in turn expired at an early age after
a lingering illness except the Beaver, which moved to Napanee for a
change of atmosphere and seems to have been so benefited by the change
that it increased to double its former size.
The Index was the first to make the venture in 1853, just about
one year before the Standard was first issued from the little room over .
Macpherson’s store in Napanee. The first editor, pane pee O-
= P
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 297
prietor was Mr. I. B. Aylesworth, son of the late Robert Aylesworth of-
Odessa, for many years clerk of. the township of Ernesttown. The
heading alleged that it was devoted to agriculture, commerce, science,
and morality, and it adopted the wholesome motto: “Open to all parties,
led by none.” Mr. Aylesworth left the editor’s chair for the pulpit, and
afterwards became the Rev. Dr. Aylesworth, at one time president of
the London Methodist Conference.
He was succeeded by Messrs. D. Beach and A. Caton, the former
announcing himself as the editor and the latter as the financial manager,
The only local opposition to these pioneers in journalism was the Green-
leaf sheet of Napanee; and they had a fair opportunity of establishing
themselves in the good-will of the public, which appears to have been
liberal in its patronage, as twelve of the twenty-eight columns were filled
with advertisements, which must have yielded a respectable revenue if
they adhered to the published tariff of rates. There was, however, a
woeful want of original matter and local news; and when the editor did
take up his pen he dipped it in gall and proceeded to enlighten his readers
upon the wickedness of that village seven miles down the river. This
may have tickled the two rows of villagers who, during the summer
evenings, perched upon the railings of the old bridge and speculated upon
the best site for the county buildings when Newburgh would become the
county seat; for even at this early date the separation of the counties
Was a live issue.
If the editor had taken a broader view of his duty and responsibil-
ity he could have made his paper more popular throughout the county,
and advocated and advanced the interests of his own village to better
advantage. It would have required very little to convince him that the
engineers and promoters of the Grand Trunk Railway had been per-
suaded to overlook such a business centre as N ewburgh through a con-
spiracy between Kingston and N apanee. In commenting upon this unholy
alliance against his village he Says: “Some of our Napanee friends have
been accused, with what justice we will not pretend to say, of concert-
ing with the Kingstonians to prevent the Grand Trunk Railway from
passing through these parts of the United Counties.” While he declines
to vouch for the accusation he proceeds to argue the question as if the
culprits had confessed their guilt, and concludes his tirade with a
sentence which shows the wholesome dread which possessed his soul
that Napanee might possibly derive some material advantage from the
construction of the line under consideration : “It would really be a matter
a of astonishment if the citizens of Kingston be so indifferent as quietly
298. HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
to allow the business of these parts, which must be of no small import-
ance to them, to be permanently concentrated in Napanee.”
When the Jndex did assay to comment upon the public questions of
the day, other than those of purely local interest, its editorials, written
in excellent English, displayed good judgment and marked the author as
a man of no mean ability. It is, therefore, but fair to conclude that, in
his zeal for his native village, he willingly sacrificed his personal inter-
ests; for there can be little doubt that his failure to obtain the support
necessary to maintain his paper was in no small measure due to his
strong advocacy of the claims of Newburgh and his persistent attacks
upon ali other villages in the county, and particularly Napanee. It is
difficult to say at this distant date who is responsible for the outbreak of
bad feeling between these two villages; for it cannot be denied that the
controversy over the location of the county town was waged with much
bitterness, and the newspapers of Napanee were not guiltless in foment-
ing the strife. Newburgh was a pretty and thriving village meriting a
better nickname than that of “Rogues’ Hollow,” and the attacks of the
newspapers of Newburgh upon Napanee and the other villages were not
without provocation.
Mr. Beach retired from the partnership about the year 1858; and
his pen was taken up by a young man who had graduated from a Cam-
den farm and the Newburgh Academy and was at the time a clerk in
Mr. Caton’s drug store, in the rear of which the Index was published.
For two years this young man, who had also purchased an interest in
the concern, continued to edit the paper with no‘ small degree of credit
to himself. But, like the first editor, he felt that he was destined for
another field of usefulness and quitted Newburgh to enter a law office
»in Kingston. That he soon attained eminence in his chosen profession ~
is attested by the fact that for thirty-four years he has been and still is
the Judge of the County Court of the County of Frontenac, His Honour
C. V. Price. Mr. Caton for a time endeavoured to continue the publica-
tion; but the burden was greater than he could carry, so he sold the
plant to a gentleman in Gananoque; and Newburgh for a time was with-
out a mouthpiece to laud its merits and berate the press of Napanee.
The British North American entered the arena with a great flour-—
ish of trumpets on the eve of the decisive battle for the separation of _
the counties; and the name alone was sufficient to strike terror into the _
hearts of its contemporaries in Napanee. They, however, do not appear
to have retreated one step from the position taken by them in the fight-
ing line; but turned their weapons upon this new. exponent of New-
\(Frnuy eae
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 299
was the career of the paper that little can now be learned about it.- It
was owned and edited by Mr. George W. McMullen about the year
1863, and met with such scant encouragement that the proprietor wisely
concluded that he could never achieve fame or wealth through that
medium: so he folded his tents and removed first to Picton and after-
wards to Chicago. The fame that was denied him at Newburgh was
afterwards thrust upon him through the investigations of the Pacific
Scandal.
In the month of June, 1875, the Newburgh Reporter was first pub-
lished by two Newburgh boys, J. F. and W. J. Pappa, sons of an old
resident, Daniel Pappa, a tailor and general clothier. J. F. had served
his first apprenticeship as a printer under Cephas I. Beeman in the
Beaver office in his native village and had gone to Watertown to pursue
his calling and, having mastered the art, returned to his old home to
see what he could do in the way of running a paper himself. The
brothers produced a very respectable seven-column paper, superior to the
others that had tried the experiment, as it devoted more space to local
news, which was gleaned by the reporter and several regular corre-
spondents from the other villages in the county. At the end of two
years W. J. sold out his interest to his brother, who continued the pub-
lication until 1880, when he leased it to A. M. Dickinson, who had been
for some time an employee in the office. The latter soon followed in
the footsteps of his employer by going to the United States, where both
have since been engaged in the newspaper business. Mr. Pappa is at
present associated with the Watertown Daily Times and Mr. Dickinson
is the managing editor of the Utica Saturday Globe. The Reporter,
like two of its predecessors, was allowed to die a natural death and no
effort has since been made to revive it.
The Napanee Beaver, which is dealt with in another chapter, was
first published in Newburgh as the Ontario Beaver, but while yet in its
swaddling clothes was transferred to Napanee.
The following is a list of the merchants and manufacturers of New-
burgh during the past sixty years:
Merchants: Stevenson & Ham, Florence McEgan, A. D. Hooper,
Caton & Miller, John Dowling, John D. Ham, D. Hooper, Richard
Osborn, Miles Caton, Nathan Empey, Henry Paul, W. A. Hope & Co.,
John Shorey, Homer H. S. Spencer, Wm. Beckett, D. P. Clute, Chas.
Wellbanks, John Rook, C. W. Thomson, L. E. Percy, M. Ryan, Mrs. H.
Stone, George M. Walker, Edgar Knight. .
Blacksmiths: John Creighton, John Farley, John Percy, Thomas
cott, Henry Dunn, Philip Phalen, John Dunn, C. D. Shorts.
300 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Carriage Makers: Henry Finkle, William Hookaway, Samuel Lake,
D. A. Burdette, Scott & Jennings, George M. Baker, John Baughan,
John Farley & Son, C. H. Finkle, Gandier & Dunwoody.
Coopers: Jere Remo, Joseph Miller, Francois Miller.
Tanneries: John Black, D. & A. Burdette, Wm. Clark, Joseph W.
Courtney, Daniel Day. .
Druggists: Allen Caton, Miller & Aylesworth, Duff & Co., M. I.
Beeman & Co., H. B. Collier, J. W. Yeomans, T. I. Winter, James
McCammon, M.D.
Paper Manufacturers: James Thomson, Thomson Bros., Thomson
Paper Co.
Shoemakers: James Davy, Wm. Detlor, Wm. Irons, Jacob Detlor,
W. P. V. Detlor, James G. Davidson, George Detlor, Walter Brisco,
Wm. Mulholland.
Saddlers and Harness Makers: O. S. Roblin, Homer Spencer, Wells
& Brother, John C. Wells, H. J. Wood, James Johnson.
Watchmaker and Jeweller: Richard Rook.
Tinsmiths: John Rook, Charles Wellbanks.
Grist-Mill: George Madden, Michael Davern, Robert Gibson, J. F.
Burgoyne, John Drewry, W. D. Drewry.
Cabinet-Makers: George Eakins, Joseph Fullerton, W. H. Eakins,
Eakins & Co.
Carding-Mills: Sylvester Madden.
Carpenters: Wm., Brown, Wm. Howell, Edw. Jones, Howell &
Clark, Edward Huyck, Elias Clark.
Saw-Mills: George Madden, C. H. Miller, John Pomeroy, David Y.
Pringle, Richard Madden, Robert Paul.
.» Axe Factory: Thos. Armstrong, Simon Hanes, Joseph Taylor, R.
B. Hope.
Tailors: Paschal Deroche, Ezekiel McConnell, Andrew Russell,
Daniel Pappa, W. W. Adams, George Rowlinson, Alex. Dick.
Foundry: C. H. Miller, D. B. Stickney, Edwin W. Stickney.
Mill-Wrights: Nelson Shorey, Gideon Scott.
Builders and Contractors: Edward Jones, Robert Dougan.
Cheese Manufacturers: James Haworth, Nelson McKim, E. J. Mad-
den, Hugh Howey, George Cleall.
As its name indicates, the village of Centreville owes its very
existence to the fact that it is situated near the centre of the ies)
Camden East formerly had the honour of being the municipal capital —
5 of Camden; but ean were taken to its location on Boge Rodis b
Cs a
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 301
out Wideeios. The following article on the village, written by Mr. iF
S. Lochhead, has been kindly placed at my disposal:
“The Village of Centreville is situated almost in the centre of the
township of Camden, and from this fact it derives its name.
“It lies between lots 24 and 25, in the front of the 6th concession.
The surrounding country is comparatively level, and an excellent farm-
ing district. The nearest body of water is Mud Lake, which lies about
two miles east of the village, and is important chiefly for duck shooting.
The lack of water-power is a great hindrance to the growth of the vil-
lage. Its area at present is about fifteen acres, and the population
approximately one hundred. To-day the village comprises two stores,
the Methodist Church, the Town-hall, the Orange Hall, one hotel, a
cheese factory, and two blacksmith shops, besides the residences.
“About a mile south of the village is the Roman Catholic Church,
and nearly a mile east is the Public School, both of which were probably
built with the idea that some day they would be within the corporation,
but, alas! no such expansion lay in the future for Centreville. Although
Centreville reminds one of a little village that has ‘climbed half-way up
the hill, and then sat down to rest,’ it has a past worthy of note, for
forty years ago it held quite an important place in the township. The
population was more than double what it is now, and quite a business
stir was evident. The surrounding country consisted of homesteads,
owned by well-to-do farmers with large families, who were not afraid
to work, and since have gone out and made their mark far away, in
many cases, from their old home. Some old homesteads which we can
_ recall at present are the Shorey, the Miller, the Vrooman, the Lochhead,
the Switzer, the Whelan, the Hawley, the Wagar, the Milligan, and the
Weese.
“The village was formerly known as Whelan’s Corners, and this
name reveals its real origin, for the first building was a large frame
hotel, erected on the south-west corner by John Whelan, seventy years
ago. About this time a Wesleyan Methodist Church was built, and two
years later a Methodist Episcopal Church, both frame buildings, besides
a Roman Catholic Church,—not the large stone edifice of to-day,—but
a small frame building. The next addition was a blacksmith shop, and
soon afterwards a wagon shop.
“In 1842 Mr. James N. Lapum opened the first store, carrying his
goods over the corduroy roads all the way from Kingston.
“Up to this time there was no post-office in the place, and the near-
est office was at Camden East, then known as Clark’s Mills. This same
302 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
year a post-office was opened. Mr. Lapum was made post-master, and
the name of the village was changed to Centreville.
“The next year the old log school-house was torn down and a large
stone one was built in its place. Then a shoemaker shop was opened,
the town-hall was erected by the township, and a few years after
another shoemaker came to the village, besides several additional fam-’
ilies. Later on, Mr. Lapum, who had in the meantime made consider-
able money in his store and potash works, was in a position to buy a
better site for a new store and residence, and so opened up on a larger
scale. He also built a large stone tenement house near his store.
“About this time another hotel was erected, and the next year Mr.
C. S. McKim opened up another store. This was afterwards converted
into a third hotel. In 1851 Dr. Ash came to the village, two more
blacksmith shops were started, a cooper shop, a harness shop, a grocery,
and two tailoring establishments. Mr. J. S. Lochhead at this time kept
store in the village.
“In 1867, when Canada came under Confederation, Mr. Lapum was
the first member of the House of Commons, representing Addington,
which was and is still, a Conservative constituency.
“Tn 1870, a cheese factory was started by Mr. Lapum and Mr. John
S. Miller, ex-M.P.P. This was afterwards bought by Squire Whelan,
on whose property the building was erected, and who managed it most
successfully until his death six years ago. The latter, we might men-
tion also, was for forty years Clerk of the Fifth Division Court, which
always meets at Centreville. It is also worthy of note that at Gilbert
Parker’s father often appeared here as magistrate.
“Shortly after Confederation, Dr. Switzer came to the village, and
-eight years later Dr. M. I. Beeman arrived, making in all three doctors
in the village at this time. Before long Dr. Ash, who by this time had
a large practice, entered into partnership with Dr. Beeman, and Dr.
Switzer left the village. Soon after this Mr. John Hinch opened up a _
general store, and finally bought a corner lot and built a fine brick store
and residence on his new premises.
“And now there was a turn in Centreville’s prosperity. Several
fires destroyed three of the hotels, as well as many of the other build-
ings. The Bay of Quinte Railway was built about this time, and not
being on the line, Centreville’s trade and business began to decline.
Gradually people began to move away. The Presbyterian manse and
the Methodist parsonage were both vacated, and the ministers removed
to Tamworth and Enterprise respectively, as both these villages were
on the railway. Several years later, Dr. Beeman bought om Dr. Duff in
—_ =.) Se ee
bh mn
ee
= Pas Aw
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 308
Newburgh, and moved away. Several doctors succeeded him in turn,
until gradually the practice was so divided that to-day Centreville has
no doctor at all.
“One bright spot in the history of the village during all these years
was the erection of a fine stone town-hall to take the place of the old
frame building.
“The last blow was the big fire which destroyed Mr. Hinch’s build-
ing, the finest in the village, so to-day to the casual observer, Centre-
ville presents rather a sad spectacle of its former self. But who knows
its future? The main line of the Canadian Northern is registered to
pass through Centreville, and in that case business may boom again in
these prosperous years in Canada. ‘To-day the township council still
meets in the village and the oldest resident, Mr. J. S. Lochhead, is town-
ship treasurer, which position he has held for the last twenty years.
“In closing, all we can say is that we hope there are better days in
the future for Centreville, and that her sons and daughters may yet have
further reason to feel proud of her.”
Camden East was originally located some. distance farther up stream
than where the village is at present. It had its beginning, as had all
the villages on the river, by the building of a saw-mill. Abel Scott, the
_ progenitor of the Scott family at Mink’s Bridge, built the first saw-mill
about the year 1818; but its dam caused so much damage by flooding
the adjacent lands that it was afterwards moved down stream to its
present location. He sold out in 1821 to Samuel Clark, grandson of
Robert Clark, the mill-wright who built the first mills at Kingston and
Napanee. He was a prominent man in his day, carried on an extensive
lumber business, was a justice of the peace, and for some time was one
of the representatives of Camden in the district council. A small vil-
lage, principally for the accommodation of his employees, sprang up,
and was known as Clark’s Mills, by which name it is still called by many
of the old residents. Clark was a prominent member of the Church of
England, donated the land upon which St. Luke’s church stands, was
a liberal contributor towards the building fund, and personally superin-
tended its erection. This first Church of England in Camden township
cost about $1,500, to which the Governor-General, Lord Sydenham, con-
tributed £25. It was opened for divine service on March 2oth, 1844, by
the Rev. Paul Shirley, the missionary in charge of all the northern part
of Addington, assisted by the Rev. Saltern Givens of Napanee.
Dr. E. J. Barker of Kingston, in his report on the county of Add-
% ington in 1856, thus writes of Camden East: “This is a settlement of
_ Samuel Clark, Esq., son of a U.E.L., who some thirty years ago left his
804 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
father’s home in Ernesttown and built a grist-mill here. It is now quite
a village with every requisite of such. Good roads to Kingston and to
the rear of the township, a tri-weekly mail, capital inns, some half dozen
merchants’ stores and twice that number of tradesmen’s stores, cloth
factory, tannery, distillery, brewery, grist-mills, and saw-mills in abund-
ance. An Episcopal church, Methodist chapel, good school-house and
court-room. The population is between 500 and 1,000 souls. The
immense quantities of lumber piled along the banks of the river, by
which the public road runs, show the vast amount of lumber sawed,
dried, and prepared for the American market, to which it mostly finds
its way.’*
The doctor was writing for a prize when he penned the foregoing
paragraph; and I fear that in his zeal to paint a fair picture of the vil-
lage he took some liberties with the facts when giving his estimate of |
the population and enumerating the various industries of the place.
The present public-house in Camden East was built over eighty years
ago by a man named Sewell and was conducted as a tavern until the
passing of a local option by-law a short time ago. Just across the street
diagonally, was another tavern, which ninety years ago was kept by
Joshua B. Lockwood. It was known as the Farmers’ Hotel, and under
its roof was born Isaac J. Lockwood, for many years a bookseller in
Napanee and now living in retirement on John Street, hale and hearty,
although in his eighty-first year. To him the writer is indebted for
most of the following information, for, fearing that the older generation
would all pass away before some one had gathered and put in suitable
form the history of his native village, the old gentleman had some twelve
or thirteen years ago written a very full account of all the facts he could
gather about his birthplace, which he has kindly placed at my disposal.
Before Samuel Clark moved to Camden East, he owned a farm and
kept a small store on lot number twenty in the sixth concession of
Ernesttown. His first act was to change the site of the dam, and he laid
the foundations of the village by building three mills, a saw-mill, a grist-
mill, and a carding and fulling-mill, none of which are standing to-day
as they were all burned at the same time. The old Squire met with a
series of misfortunes. He rebuilt his grist-mill of stone, and this again
was burned. In the early forties his woollen factory was again burned,
and his saw-mill met a similar fate in 1865. The water had its freaks
which also caused him trouble time and again. Once a wing of his dam
was carried away, at another time a portion of the mill yard was swept
away, taking with it a large quantity of lumber, and still again the boom
* Transactions of the Board of Agriculture of Upper Canada.
tt Ym:
f
‘
¢
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. ; 805
timbers, stretched from bank to bank, gave way, and down the stream
rushed his logs in a mad race. Other minor casualties happened from
time to time, but with it all, the old gentleman preservéd his equanimity.
About 1832 he sold out to George Sinclair Gordon, a gentleman with
more money than business ability; but in the end he was not over-
burdened with either, as after two years’ experience, he was unable to
meet his obligations and the property reverted to the Squire. Camden
East had one of the first post-offices in the county; and as in later years
Colebrook and Yarker had a contest over the post-office question in
which the now lesser village came out victorious, so a similar con-
troversy arose over the first post-office in the township, the claimants
being Newburgh and Clark’s Mills. The Inspector came from Kingston
and called first at Camden East, when the residents, and particularly the
hostess at the Farmers’ Hotel, endeavoured to persuade him to make the
appointment at once and not bother going to Rogues’ Hollow. ‘That
official, however, felt that he had a duty to perform, and proceeded in
state to Newburgh, where a coloured servant so offended his highness
by neglecting to show the deference that was due to a man of his
exalted degree, that he promptly summoned his orderly, mounted his
horse, returned to Clark’s Mills, established a post-office there, and
appointed Samuel Clark the first postmaster, a position which he held
until his death. The name of the place was then changed to Camden
East. Although Samuel was postmaster, the office was in charge of his
brother William, who kept the first store of any consequence in the
village. This store was built where the residence of Lewis Stover now
stands. ‘When Samuel died, in 1866 he was succeeded by his brother
Benjamin, who held the appointment until he was superannuated; and
Mr. James S. Haydon became postmaster upon condition that he pay an
annuity of one hundred dollars to his predecessor during the rest of his
natural life, an obligation which was cheerfully and faithfully dis-
charged.
Although the first industry was established at this place by Abel
Scott, and the village began with the advent of Samuel Clark, the his-
tory of Camden East may be traced back much further. Isaac Coté, a
trapper, is said to have been the first white man to occupy any portion
of the land upon which the village now stands. In the latter part of the
eighteenth century he built a log cabin, the ruins of which Mr. Lock-
wood remembers having pointed out to him over seventy years ago. It
is quite evident that there were settlers in the township at that time as
’ ‘the Langhorn register contains the record of the baptism of Sewantha
Rus n at Camden on June 29th, 1791.
306 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
The first actual settler at Camden East of whom there is still pre-
served a complete record, was Albert Williams, who, between 1800 and
1804, moved from the township of Fredericksburgh and settled on lot
twenty-five in the first concession and the lot abutting on it in the second
concession. ‘The date is approximately fixed, as he had a large family
of children, one of which was baptised at his old home in Fredericks-
burgh in 1800, while the next baptism in the same family describes him
as of Camden East and the ceremony as having been performed in 1804.
He built his house on the south bank of the river for the very good rea-
son that there was no bridge across the stream at the time. Later on he
built an old-fashioned Dutch house, so called, on the north bank, which
in time gave place to another frame dwelling built by his son James,
who succeeded to his estate. It was left to Lorenzo Dow Williams, the
son of James, to erect upon the same property the most imposing farm
residence in the county.
The first school-house in the village was built on the bank of the
river in 1833. It is still standing, but has lost its dignity, as it is now
used as an adjunct to a carriage factory. There were no churches at the
time, and such religious services as were held were conducted in the old
stone school-house. With no churches and no regular services the
inhabitants appreciated the visits of the clergymen, and turned out more
faithfully perhaps than does the present generation in the age of good
roads, easy riding conveyances, and comfortable pews. It mattered not
the denomination of the bearer of the Gospel message or the condition
of the weather, the people all turned out and gave him a warm welcome.
The announcement of the services was made at the school and it was
invariably timed for early candle-light. A few minutes before the |
appointed time the residents of the village and surrounding country
would be seen wending their way towards the bank of the river, the
head of each fatnily carrying a candlestick in which was a tallow candle.
For many years, Clark’s Mills was the “Capital” of the township,
and the town meetings, courts, and elections for the whole township
were held there. As the township became more populous a movement
was set on foot to reorganize municipal affairs, objections were raised
against the business of the municipality being transacted at a village
situated on the very boundary of the township, and a more central loca-
tion was demanded, which resulted in the selection of a central village,
thereafter known as Centreville, after which, one F. McEgan, a wag
of Newburgh, in one of his humorous speeches re-christened Camden
East the “Ancient Capital.”
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. 307
There is little left of Camden East to-day to recall the stirring times
described by Dr. Barker fifty-six years ago. The days of its glory are
a memory now; and many of the old residents complain that in a mod-
ern survey of the village, even the old street names have been arbitrarily
wiped out and new ones substituted for them. The Williams, Hughes,
Finlays, Clarks, Sproules, and Lockwoods, who laid out the streets and
gave them the names of the old pioneers, have all passed away, and if
these links connecting the past with the present have been thus destroyed
the citizens of Camden East have a just cause of complaint and should
demand that the former names be restored.
The villagers now love to recall the names of their talented sons
who have distinguished themselves in different walks of life. In the
heart of the village is still standing an old house in which there was
born about fifty years ago, a lad who differed little from the other boys
of the neighbourhood. He went to the same school, played in the same
muddy street, and learned to swim in the same pool behind the cedar
bush. His father kept store and was also a justice of the peace, and it
was said of him that his court never adjourned, but justice was dis-
pensed in a summary manner wherever a case overtook him. The boy’s
grandfather was a Methodist exhorter, a man of little education; but
there was one book which he had well digested and that was the Book
of books; and in an argument upon the Scriptures, he was never known
to come out second. He was a fluent speaker, and this particular grand-
son inherited the oratory of the grandfather, and at an early age
acquired a local reputation as a speaker and reciter. For a time he was
clerk in the store of Mr. James S. Haydon and did not impress his
employer as possessing any extraordinary qualifications for the position.
Later on he inclined towards the pulpit, moved to Belleville with his
father, and became lay-reader and deacon in St. Thomas’ Church under
Rey. Canon Burke. He afterwards undertook a journey to Australia,
and his letters to a London newspaper marked him as a man of letters.
His progress thereafter was rapid and to-day he is the author of many
well-known novels, a member of the British House of Commons, and
subscribes—or may subscribe—himself Sir Gilbert Parker.
The following is a comparatively complete list of merchants, trades-
men, and others who have been engaged in business in Camden East
since its earliest days: .
Merchants: R. D. Finlay, Joshua B. Lockwood, William H. Clark,
Peter H. Clark, James Haydon, Felix Hooper, Henry Martin, Edmund
Hooper, Joseph Parker, Benjamin Clark, Hugh Duncan & Co., James S.
Haydon, Edward Hinch, Henry Hooper, Michael Temple, Haydon &
308 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
Ryan, Wm. Sherlock, Mrs. S. Lew, Stover & Bicknell, T. B. Wood, L.
H. Stover, Wm. Bicknell, Leroy & Dickson, J. W. Patterson, N. Stead-
man, Dickson & Son.
Carriage makers and blacksmiths: Isaac Huff, R. W. Caswell,
Joseph Darling, John Harrigan, J. Lockwood, John Skinner, Charles
Benn, Richard Brown, Joseph Robinson, J. L. Skinner & Son, R. P.
Coulter, S. W. Hamilton, Jonas Lockwood & Son.
Carpenters and builders: Peter Hume, Charles Wellington, Henry
Close, James Hawse, Alex. McCormack, John Graham, Jacob Huffman,
James Hume, James Lew, Alex. Duncan, N. Terrill, Charles Wilson,
Daniel Lew, George Wilson, Silas Edgar, Robert Lovelace, Cyrus Edgar,
Columbus Edgar.
Cabinet-makers: Thomas Andrews, Samuel Andrews.
Saddlers and Harness makers: Thomas Bamford, Joseph Lewis.
Tanner: William Bush.
Shoemakers: William Bush, Nicholas Bense, Hugh Duncan, John
Gilbreth, Clark Hamilton, Alex. Summerville, Charles Riley, Wm.
Sherlock.
Tailors: Reuben Schryver, William Harrison, Pierre Papin, Robert
Johnston, Charles F. Benton, Terence McNulty, William Calder, Aaron
Cranis, Charles Henry Bookes, Robert Guy. .
Bakers: George Clark, Samuel Lew.
Physicians: Dr. Francis Purcell, Dr. Crow, Dr. Shirley, Dr. Nathan
Bicknell, Dr. McDonnell.
Mill-wrights: Malcolm McPherson, Joseph Burgoyne, David J. —
Wartman.
Saw-mills and grist-mills: Samuel Clark, George S. Gordon, Peter
H. Clark, William Woodruff, N. Clark, John Crouse, George Empey,
' Augustus Hooper, Joseph Burgoyne, Jr., Archibald McCabe, James
Nimmo, James Parrott, E. Compton, Beagle Parrott, Thos. Wilson, R.
F. Bicknell, J. R. Scott.
Distillers: John Rennie, Haydon & Sproule, John Johnston.
Brewers: Thomas and Samuel Andrews. .
Hotel keepers: Joshua B. Lockwood, Sewell, John W. Perry,
George Clark, R. W. Caswell, Augustus Hooper, Edw. Carscallen,
Robert Sproule, Robert Collins, William Warner, Peter Wier, Michael
Temple, Joseph Sproule, Michael McConnell, D. P. Clute, Sam Jack-
son, Robert Orr, Mrs. McCarthy, McConnell & Collins, Samuel O’Brien.
Fanning-mill maker: James McTaggart.
Tinsmiths: Alex. Sallans, James T. Page, Samuel Greenaway.
x?
CALVIN WHEELER.
SAMUEL CLARK.
EBENEZER PERRY.
DR. JAMES ALLEN.
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. 309
Yarker is the railway and manufacturing centre of the township.
There was a time in its early history when, as Vader’s Mills, it had all
it could do to hold its own with its rivals, Colebrook and Camden East;
in fact on more than one occasion, as in the contest for the location of
, the post-office, Vader’s Mills was quietly but firmly requested to stand
4 aside for the more deserving villages to the north and south. Time has,
7 however, brought its soothing balm; and Yarker to-day somewhat
: haughtily smiles upon its poor but pretentious neighbours. Mr. E. R.
Checkley, for some time manager of the branch of the Merchants’ Bank
f at the village, has diligently inquired into its early history and has laid
/ before the public the result of his investigations in a paper read before
the Historical Society in 1910. With the permission of the Society and
the author I publish it in full:
“A little over one hundred years ago, when Upper Canada was
young, when Governor Simcoe held his court at muddy Little York, the
land whereon Yarker now stands belonged to the Crown. By a patent
dated January 13th, 1796, Lots No. 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43, in the first
Concession of Camden were conveyed to Governor Simcoe himself, and
this property, comprising one thousand acres, was for many years
known as the Simcoe tract. The present village of Yarker stands on
Lots 41 and 42.
“At that time the Simcoe tract was covered by the primeval forest,
and the land was not only well wooded but well watered, for the Napanee
’ River ran through it, and on this river was a beautiful fall 26 feet high.
For some reason the Governor kept this property intact for many years.
What that reason was we can only conjecture; but it is probable that he
was not above receiving the unearned increment, due to the labours of
other men on the lands that bounded his, or in other words, he had a
good speculation, and he was going to hang on to it. To the north of
the Simcoe tract was a hamlet called Peters’ Mills, now the Village of
Colebrook, and four miles to the south was the Village of Wilton. The
speculation does not appear to have turned out very well, for in the end
his heir, Henry A. Simcoe, sold the whole property including the
beautiful Simcoe Falls, which was a valuable water-power, to Sidney
Warner of Wilton, for the sum of $3,000, after holding it for forty
years.
“I have mentioned that the Simcoe Falls was 26 feet high. To-day
‘iti is only about 12 feet high. Owing to the country being covered by
the forest, a much greater quantity of water came down the river then
than now; and old residents state that in the spring-time the roar of
ter over the falls could be distinctly heard for five miles. But the
el
Se ne Or Se SA PE I +
“a a
ee en ee a
ee ee
310 . HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
cause of the decrease in the height of the falls was the lumbering on the
river. Long ago they did not bring down round logs as in recent years ;
but they were first squared in the woods and the square timber then
floated down the stream. ‘The bed of the river is limestone rock, and
when the timber went over the fall it would dislodge pieces of the rock
and carry them over also. This gradual wearing process went on year
after year, so in course of time the height of the falls was reduced, and
a sloping rapid produced above the falls extending back for 50 feet or
so. At the head of this rapid there is now a dam which throws the
water into the flumes on either side of the river. A very large number
of arrow-heads and spear-heads made of flint have been found, around
this falls and on the banks of the river below it; and also on the shores
of Varty Lake, about two miles away. It is an interesting question
where the Indians obtained their flint, as there is none in this part of
the country, so far as I am aware.
“In these early days the making of potash was one of the principal
industries, and it was a great industry. Wood was the only fuel, and
that was plentiful, and the long logs blazed on the cheery fireplace, and
the ashes were carefully saved. When the ground was cleared and the
roots of the trees taken out, they were piled up and burned in order to
obtain the ashes. Much valuable timber appears to have been burned
simply for the ashes.
“One of the principal makers of potash was Mr. Sidney Warner,
of Wilton. He also had a large general store; and the settlers could
obtain whatever they might need in exchange for ashes. Mr. Warner
converted the ashes into potash, and sent it down the St. Lawrence to
Montreal, where he, in turn, could obtain all the supplies he wanted from
the wholesale houses. The potash was then shipped to England, where
it was used in the bleaching of cotton. But other methods of bleach-
ing cotton have long since prevailed, and potash is no longer used; but
it was a great industry while it lasted.
“The deed by which the Simcoe tract was transferred by Henry A.
Simcoe, the heir, and I presume the son of Governor Simcoe, to Sidney
Warner, is dated July 1st, 1840. Soon after acquiring it, Mr. Warner
opened it up by selling that portion of lots 41 and 42, north of the
river, to the late George Miller; and the piece adjoining the river on the
south side he sold to David Vader, who built a saw-mill upon it. Mr. —
Alpheus VanLuven, who still lives in Yarker and is a nephew of David
+
7
Vader, tells me that when he came here as a mere boy in the early
forties to visit his uncle, the place consisted then of two log houses,
a log blacksmith shop and the saw-mill that his uncle owned, whic
=
te Rd . a be
‘- 4 a
ag <7
— eee
a Ne Sete ey or Sub orn,
yee Jomo) ob deo
nv
CAMDEN AND’ NEWBURGH. 311
built of boards. George Miller, late in the forties built a grist-mill and
a carding-mill-upon the land that he had bought upon the north side of
the river. Under this carding-mill the late John A. Shibley established,
in 1851, the first store in what was then the Village of Simcoe Falls.
He afterwards moved to the site of the present hotel, and later to the
stone building that he had built across the street, in which Mr. John
Ewart now conducts a general store and the post-office. I cannot be
sure of the exact date of this stone building, but it is certainly over 50
years old. In 1852 David Vader sold a portion of the land and water-
power that he owned, to the late Joseph Connoly, who built thereon a
foundry and plough works. This business is still carried on by his son,
A. A. Connoly, who enjoys a considerable local trade. The grist and
carding-mill that George Miller had built was soon afterwards burned.
It was rebuilt by him and subsequently sold to Alexander McVean. A
part of the land adjoining the mill site was sold by George Miller to
Garrett and Anthony Miller, who built a tannery, of considerable size
upon it, which was afterwards turned into a pail and fork factory. This
building and McVean’s mill were both burned on January 13th, 1863.
The grist-mill was rebuilt by McVean, and was subsequently sold by
him to Messrs. Connoly and Benjamin, who in turn sold it to George
McDonald. He sold it to Jas. Richardson & Son, of Kingston, who
sold it to James H. West, who sold it to James Freeman, the present
owner. When George McDonald owned it, he introduced the roller pro-
cess of making flour into the mill. David Vader, after selling part of
his property to Joseph Connoly, sold the balance of his entire holdings
| to the late Samuel Scott, who had a plan made of that part of the pro-
| posed village to be on the south side of the river. The saw-mill origin-
| ally built by Mr. Vader was burned, and the mill site and water-power
a were subsequently sold by Samuel Scott to Messrs. Booth, of Odessa,
| who built a woollen factory upon it, and sold it to Messrs. Lott and
Stevenson, who, in turn, sold it to the late Peter Ewart, during whose
ownership it burned. The mill site and water-power were then sold to
E. W. Benjamin, who built upon it the existing power house of the
Benjamin Mfg. Co., Limited.
“About 1850 George Miller, in a suburb of Yarker, known as |
Woodmucket, erected a saw-mill. This mill was bought in 1856 by E.
W. Benjamin, who moved here from Odessa. About 1857 the mill was
burned, and was rebuilt by E. W. Benjamin, who also built a hub fac-
tory on the same water-power and made, beside hubs, grain measures.
_ It was in this factory that the business of the well known firm of Con-
x noly and Benjamin was first started, which had assumed considerable
2 OE EEE eee eee
3i2 _ HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
proportions before the death of the late Joseph Connoly. This saw-mill
is now owned by Peter VanLuven, and operated by Bostwick Babcock,
who does a purely local trade. Connoly and Benjamin bought the ruins
of the old tannery and rebuilt it as a hub and spoke factory, and then
afterwards turned it into a wheel factory. It was sold by them to Ben-
jamin Bros. & West, who sold to Freeman & West.
“The Benjamin Manufacturing Company Limited was incorpor-
ated in 1895 and erected their present commodious premises. They after-
wards purchased Freeman & West’s building, and it is now used by them
as a power house for their electric light plant, and for storage. ‘The
Benjamin Mfg. Company Limited have a very extensive plant, employ-
ing a considerable number of men, and the very latest machinery, and is
one of the largest manufacturers of carriage wheels in Canada.
“Until 1859 the village was known as Simcoe Falls, but there was
no post-office here, all the mail coming to Peters’ Mills a mile distant.
An effort was made in the early part of that year to have a post-office
established here; but the Government objected to the name of Simcoe
Falls, on the ground that there was already a Simcoe in the County of
Norfolk, and told the people they would have to choose another name.
A meeting was held in the store of John A. Shibley, and a list of names
made out to be sent to the Government, the-names being placed in the
order of preference. Mr. McVean proposed the name of Yarker after
Mr. George W. Yarker, of Kingston, who owned all the mills at Syden-
ham, which were operated by Wm. Vance. Mr. Vance purchased the
property later from Mr. Yarker. Mr. Yarker belonged to an old Eng-
lish family, which for over four hundred years has held lands in York-
shire, the family seat being Leyburn Hall, Leyburn, parish of Wensley,
Yorkshire. Mr. Yarker’s father, Robert Yarker, came to Canada during
‘the War of 1812-14, as Deputy Paymaster-General of the forces, and
‘was Stationed at Montreal, where he died in 1835. He himself became
a resident of Kingston, where he was a well known leader in society and
patron of the turf. Here he died in 1847. He had two sons, George W.
Yarker and James S. Yarker. The latter went into business as a hard-
ware merchant, and the former entered the Bank of Montreal, where he
got on well, being manager at London, England, and also at Toronto,
for many years. He afterwards became the General Manager of the
Federal Bank of Canada, and is at present Manager of the Clearing
House in Toronto. Mr. James S. Yarker died many years ago. The
name of Yarker was the seventh or eighth on the list, and it was hardly
likely that that name would be chosen, as the Government would surely
be satisfied with some name before they got so far down on the list. It
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. 313
was jocularly remarked that if it were chosen possibly Geo. W. and
James S. Yarker would give something to the village. I have been told
that the first name on the list was Pekin. In view of the fact that we
have-a Moscow and Odessa close by, it would appear as if the people
in this vicinity had a strange liking for the names of prominent places
in foreign countries. Mr. Alpheus VanLuven suggested Rockburg
from the quantity of rock around here. But the unlikely often happens,
; and it did so in this case, as the Government passed over all the other
: names and selected that of Yarker. Shortly afterwards a dance was
| held in the village at which George W. and James S. Yarker were pre-
: sent, and, as had been surmised, they promised to present the village
: school with a bell. In the course of the summer Messrs, Yarker brought
out the bell, they were met by the villagers with a brass band, and all
| repaired to the woods close by, where a picnic was held, speeches were
made, and there was general feasting and merry-making. ‘This bell still
| hangs in the village school and bears the following inscription: ‘Pre-
t sented to George Miller, Esq., and the inhabitants of Yarker by George
3 W. and James §S. Yarker, 1859.’
3 “A school was established here in the early part of the forties. The
7
®
old school building still exists on the south side of the river. It is built
of stone, is of one story, and is now used as a dwelling. It is said that
- there was a school building before this one, but if so, no trace of it -
: remains. The present building was built about 1872. It was then a one-
story building; but another story was added in 1806.
“Religious services were held in Yarker for many years in the old
school-house, before any church building was erected by the Methodists
and the Church of England. About 1853, Yarker formed part of the
Methodist Wilton circuit, and continued to do so until the Yarker Cir-
cuit was formed about 20 years ago, taking in Yarker, Colebrook, and
Moscow. The congregation continued to worship in the school-house
until 1868, when the present large stone church was erected. The
church is now well filled with a good congregation, and is at present in
charge of the Rev. Enos Farnsworth.
“Rev. Paul Shirley, Church of England missionary in Camden,
made frequent visits early in the fifties, but the first resident clergyman
in the parish to hold regular service was the Rev. W. J. Muckleston now
of Perth. This was early in the sixties. After the Methodists built
_ their church, the Church of England congregation bought the old school
that they had jointly occupied; and about 1878 they built a church on
the hill, which was subsequently burned. The present church of St.
A athe was erected in 1895 by the O’Loughlin family as a memorial
314 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
to the late Rev. Anthony J. O’Loughlin. This was erected during the
incumbency of the Rev. F. D. Woodcock, who was succeeded in 1902 by
Rey. C. E. S. Radcliffe. This Church of St. Anthony is one of the
prettiest churches I have ever seen, perfect in all its appointments.
There is a surpliced choir and a fine service.
“The Merchants. Bank of Canada established a branch here in Sep-
tember, 1905, and is now about to enter into its new and commodious
premises erected by Mr. E. W. Benjamin. This building is a credit to
the village, and one of which the people are justly proud. It is built of
red brick, two stories in height, the banking room being on the ground
floor, and upstairs there are two bedrooms, a sitting-room and a bath-
room for the staff. It is heated by hot air, lighted by electricity, is
finished down-stairs in oak, upstairs in Georgia pine, and has hardwood
floors throughout. The banking room is well lighted and altogether is F
far superior to any bank building in Napanee.
“No account of Yarker would be complete without mentioning the
building of the Railway. The first meeting to form a company was
held in 1880 in Napanee. The party from Yarker comprised Joseph
Connoly, E. W. Benjamin, Peter Ewart and J. V. Burn. The meeting
was held in the town-hall at Napanee, but so little interest was taken
in the matter that there was hardly any one else present and the meeting
was adjourned for a week. At the adjourned meeting Alex. Roe, of
the firm of Hooper & Roe, took the chair, and W. S. Williams was
secretary of the meeting. He was appointed secretary of the company,
and remained so during the construction. It is to the foresight and
determination of the above men*that the community is indebted for the
present railway facilities. The first directors of the company were
James Haydon, Joseph Connoly, Peter VanLuven, Alex. Roe, W. F.
Hall, John R. Scott, E. W. Benjamin, and H. $. Walker of Enterprise.
The president was Alex. Henry, of Napanee. The railway was called
the Napanee, Tamworth, and Quebec Railway, and extended from
Napanee to Tamworth. It was opened in August, 1884. In 1886 the
line was sold to E. W. Rathbun, who extended it to Tweed on the north,
Sydenham in the east, and to Deseronto in the south, and secured run-
ning powers over the Kingston & Pembroke Railway from Harrowsmith
to Kingston. Mr. Rathbun had the name changed to Napanee & West- a
ern Railway, and subsequently to Bay of Quinte Railway. The present
efficiency of the road is largely due to Mr. H. B. Sherwood, who has”
been a very capable superintendent. a7
“The village has two electric light plants, one operated by A.
_ Connoly, and the other by The Benjamin Begrsecial< o Cor ;
eo: “il i .
it os
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. 315
There is also a good hotel, fitted up with all modern conveniences,
owned and managed by John Watt. Among the principal business men
not already referred to, I may mention Mr. B. S. O’Loughlin and Mr. J.
C. Connoly. The village contains two general stores and two grocery
stores, a furniture store, a jewellery store, a hardware and tin shop, a
barber shop, two blacksmith shops, and a livery. There is also a club
supplied with billiard and pool tables, which is an advantage that many
a larger place cannot boast of. We have two resident physicians in the
village, Dr. J. H. Oldham and Dr. M. A. McQuade.
“Perhaps some.one who is familiar with the falls at Yarker may
be inclined to ask why I have spoken of them as ‘the beautiful Simcoe
Falls’? If they are not as beautiful as they were half a century ago,
it is simply because they have been marred by the hand of man. Any
one examining the rocks can see that the falls was at one time very much
higher and somewhat wider than at present, and the volume of water
was much greater. There was no rapid above the falls then, and there
was a sheer descent from the level of the river above. The rocks were
covered with pine trees, and buildings did not encroach upon the falls as
at the present time. It must certainly have been at that time a beauti-
ful falls. But if the falls have not improved with time, the village to-day
is very different from the log houses of the early forties. Nestling in
the valley, it makes no difference from what direction you approach,
you cannot see it until you are upon it. But it is in the summer time
that you see it in its beauty. With its streets well lined with trees, and
with good side-walks, of which a fair amount is of granolithic pavement
which is being extended each year; with its fine residences and well kept
lawns, one can see at a glance that the moribund state, which is the usual
condition of the average village, does not exist here. Among the principal
residences may be mentioned those of E. W. Benjamin, A. W. Ben-
jamin, F. E. Benjamin, J. C. Connoly, and B. S. O’Loughlin. The
hotel and the new bank building and all the principal residences are pro-
vided with private water-works of their own and fitted with all modern
conveniences,
“The electric light plants supply excellent light which is very
largely used. We have a good hall owned by Mr. John Ewart, in which
concerts and meetings of all kinds can be held. Manly sports of all
kinds receive hearty support; but the river running through the village
is swift and seldom freezes over, so we get but little skating unless we
go some distance away. We pride ourselves on having a model village,
7 end if the opinions expressed by outsiders may be taken as a fair
3i6 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
The following is a list of the merchants, manufacturers, and others
who have carried on business in Yarker since 1850:
Woollen Mills: George Miller, Wm. Danvers, Arnold Booth, Peter
Ewart, Peter Ewart & Son.
Carriage Makers and Blacksmiths: Samuel Lockwood, John R.
Steele, John Whalen, Hugh Rankin, Amey & Huffman, Stanley Amey,
Isman Silver, Isaac Benjamin, Adolphus Kennedy, Andrew Russell,
Johial Snider, Wm. Skinner, D. H. Smith, Wm. Connoly, Frank Davey,
Wellington Babcock.
Tanners: Anthony Miller, Garrett Miller, John Stewart, Wm. J.
Gordon.
Factories: George Miller, James Scott, Hazelston & Wood, Stillman
Hazelston, E. W. Benjamin, Connoly and Benjamin, Connoly Benjamin
& Co., Benjamin West & Co., Benjamin Bros. & West, Freeman Bros.
& Walker, Benjamin Manufacturing Co.
Foundries: Connoly & Ault, Jos. Connoly, Jos. Connoly & Son, Con-
noly Bros., A. A. Connoly.
Tailors: Hugh Cambridge, Frederick Boyd, Angus Johnston.
Merchants: Matthew Holms, Joseph Fox, Martha Brisco, Wm.
Scott, John A. Shibley, G. W. Green, W. Abrams, Robt. Irvine, Thos.
Empey, Owen Aldred, John A. Shibley & Son, J. P. Lacy, Jos. Green-
field, J. V. Burn, S. I. Winter, Wm. Barton, T. E. McDonough, Wm.
Drewy, C. F. Noles, J. C. Connoly, Ewart & VanLuven, John Ewart,
B. W. Holden, J. A. Vandewater, George Deare, P. W. ‘Thornton, Chas.
Freeman.
Saw-Mills: Paul Vader, Samuel Scott, S. & T. Scott, George Miller,
E. W. Benjamin, Peter Wartman, Bostwick Babcock.
: Grist-Mills: George Miller, Timothy Chambers, Wm. Muntz, Alex.
McVean, Connoly & Benjamin, George McDonald, E. A. Banyard, Jas.
H. West, Jas. Freeman. .
Cabinet-Makers: Michael O’Loughlin, James Scott, William Long,
J. M. Wright.
Saddlers: Alpheus VanlIuven, Michael | Vaal Joke Mane
Luven, Byron Estes, C. H. Barton.
Builders: Amos Ansley, John Ansley, Henry Ansley, Stephen Simp-
kins, Johial Snider, Hiram Vanest, Cyrus Edgar, Isman Silver.
Shoemakers: Thos. Carroll, Abraham Philips, Robert pate ae
‘ J., Silver. 3
The village of Colebrook is built upon parts of Lots numbe
four and ee: five in the second concession e the sa
JOHN D. HAM.
HON. JOHN STEVENSON. AUGUSTUS HOOPER,
— ce Te i ie ee OT at ta RR eR oe ee
'
*
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. 317
Peters. Peters built a saw-mill on the river’s bank; and for years this
place was known as Peters’ Mills, simply because there was nothing there
but the mill. Peters’ first mill had only one saw, an upright one, called a
jig saw, and as business increased a second one was added. This mill was
burned and replaced by a more substantial one.
In 1842 Charles Warner, brother of the late Sidney Warner and
father of A. C. Warner of Colebrook, purchased the Gordon lot and
part of Peters’ farm bordering upon the river. He built a store, the
first one in the place, installed a circular saw in the Peters’ mill, laid out
the land about the falls in village lots, and began business on a most
extensive scale, sawing as much as 750,000 feet of lumber in one year.
The timber for this mill was obtained from the limits about Rock Lake,
Long Lake, and Thirteen and Thirty Island Lakes and floated down to
the mill in the spring. When the logs began to arrive two shifts of
men were employed and the mill kept running night and day. Little
care was taken either to preserve or properly dispose of the refuse
material; the saw-dust was allowed to drift away as best it could, and
the slabs were dumped out of the end of the mill into the water. There
was a strong eddy at the foot of the rapids where the slabs were whirled
about until caught in a projecting ledge where slabs and saw-dust
mingled together in an inextricable mass, and so completely filled the
bed of the river from bank to bank that the eddy disappeared. The pre-
sent generation is pulling out of the stream the slabs that accumulated
there sixty years ago. The first grist-mill, which also passed into the
hands of Mr. Warner, was built over seventy years ago by an English-
man, John Rouse.
In 1851 Mr. Warner petitioned the government for a post-office ;
and the inhabitants about Vader’s Mills did likewise, and a long and
spirited struggle ensued between the two hamlets for the coveted prize.
Sidney Warner was a very influential man at the time and he naturally
used his influence in favour of his brother Charles, who was lord of
Colebrook. David Roblin, the member for the county, was besieged
with calls, letters, and petitions. Compliments were exchanged between
the two sets of petitioners; and the inhabitants of one place could see
no good reason why those residing in the other should have the presump-
tion to ask for a post-office. The Warners were victorious; and the
people down stream were forced to swallow their pride and go to Cole-
_ brook for their mail. This meant more customers from the rear conces-
sions for the Warner store; business was brisk, and in 1855 the hand-
_ Some stone residence was built.
318 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
The business relations between the merchant and the farmer were
carried on upon the very same plan as was adopted in the frontier town-
ships fifty years before. ‘The farmer, in clearing the land, would pile
into huge heaps the inferior timber, which to-day would grade better
than most of the logs drawn to our local mills, and burn it to ashes.
Some would leach the ashes themselves and convert them into potash,
others would draw their ashes to the store and sell them at sixpence a
bushel, to be taken out in trade, and the merchant would make the
potash. The arrival of the ox-carts laden with ashes or potash was a
daily occurrence at the Warner store; and a man familiar with the pro-
cess found constant employment in looking after this branch of the
business. Modern scales were unknown at the time. The weighing was
done by an evenly balanced scale, consisting of a platform at one end -
of a beam, upon which the ashes were heaped, and large weights of
fifty-six pounds each were placed upon a smaller platform at the other
end of the beam. ‘Two of the weights made the hundredweight of one
hundred and twelve pounds, which was the standard in those days. After
the ashes were leached the lye was boiled down and placed in large iron
coolers, and when sufficiently cool was packed into barrels of approxi-
mately five hundred pounds each. These were hauled to Kingston, a dis-
tance of twenty-two miles, two barrels to a load; there they were shipped
to Montreal and placed on board the sea-going vessels for the English
markets.
The first school-house for the accommodation of the inhabitants
about Colebrook was built of logs about sixty years ago, on the conces-
sion line between the first and second concessions, about half a mile
from the river. This was subsequently removed to the west side of the
village and about the same distance from the river. About fifty years
ago the bridge was carried away by the spring floods; and many of the
old residents still relate their experience in being ferried across the
river all summer to enable them to reach the school-house. The old log
school-house was for many years the only place of worship for the
Methodists until a church was built at the old burying ground between
Colebrook and Moscow, then known as Huffman’s Corners. ‘This
church was not proof against the autumn winds, and the heating
appointments were not of the best. Every old settler carried in the tail
of his Sunday coat.a red bandana handkerchief, and when the draughts
began to play havoc with the locks of the male members of the congre-
gation the bandanas were whisked out, placed over the heads, and tied —
under the chins, to the great amusement of the youngsters present.
‘ Elijah Huffman was a justice of the peace, and did not stand upon
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH. 319
Warner's first store was built near the bridge, but as _ business
improved a more pretentious one was built farther from the river. This
is still standing and is used as a private residence. Colebrook possessed
advantages at that time that it has not to-day. There was no road along
the west side of the river, so that all travel from the back country for
ten or fifteen miles around passed down the east side of the river past
Warner’s door. The first church in the village, which is still standing,
was built in 1874; the stone-work being done by William and Hugh Saul,
junior, and the wood-work by Miles Storms of Moscow.
In May, 1877, the village was swept by a disastrous fire, wiping
out the saw-mill on the west side of the river, three stores, two hotels,
and five dwellings.
Moscow is not, never has been, and probably never will be a village,
yet it has for nearly ninety years been an important centre still known
to many as the Huffman Settlement. It marked for many years the
farthest point north to which the farmer had penetrated. There was no
water-power in the vicinity to attract the lumberman such as was pos-
sessed by the other small settlements in the north of the county. The
excellence of the soil in the neighbourhood was its only recommenda-
tion. ‘The land was well timbered; but that alone was rather a hindrance
than an advantage in the absence of a convenient mill to convert it into
lumber.
Jacob Huffman, who formerly resided in the front of Richmond,
was the first man to take up land in this part of Camden. In 1825, in
company with his brother Elijah, he started north with a bag over his
shoulder, in one end of which was his axe without a handle, and in the
other a few rations of flour. It was a simple matter to make Bowers’
Mills, where they crossed the river by a bridge; but from that point the
way lay through a dense forest and along an unfrequented trail between
Varty and Mud Lakes. The tired brothers reached a point about one
mile and a quarter east of the corners now known as Moscow; but at
the time the surveyor’s post was the only indication that a white man
had ever passed that way. Jacob’s first task was to whittle for himself
an axe-helve, which he fitted to that all important weapon of the pioneer
which had done more than any other implement to subdue the forest
and convert the wilderness into fertile farms. Two years later his
brother Elijah took up the next lot west of his, and from that day to
this the Huffmans have played no unimportant part in the settlement
which they founded.
Many anecdotes of their experiences are still current in the family.
320 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
ceremony when he felt that his services were required in the administra-
tion of justice. It is related of him that upon one occasion he was
informed that a discharged soldier named Rudolph, had been shot by a
reckless character, William Kain, who was making his escape through
the forest. The magistrate promptly put his hounds upon the track of
the fugitive murderer, ran him down, conveyed him to Kingston, and
delivered him into the hands of the sheriff. The prisoner was tried,
convicted and executed. Elijah was a famous hunter, but took little
credit for the bags he secured; as deer were so plentiful that he could
easily obtain one any time he felt so disposed. “He kept a record of the
number of bears he shot until he passed the century mark, when he gave
up the count. Any one travelling to-day from Colebrook to Moscow
will observe a particularly well built road near what is known as the
Moscow Cemetery. That part of the highway was originally built by
Elijah Huffman from the bounty received from the government upon
the heads of wolves shot by himself and his neighbours upon Training
Day.
Among the early settlers who bore the burden of clearing that part
of the township was Joseph Foster, a farmer and miller at Petworth. He
was a strong temperance advocate, and when business was slack he used
to visit the other settlements and lecture upon his favourite- theme.
Among other pioneers were three Amey brothers from Bath, Joseph,
Lyman, and John. For many years they lived together keeping
bachelor’s hall, each taking his turn at the domestic duties about the
house.
About the middle of the last century, when the clearings had
assumed proportions not much short of what they are to-day and a
school had been established, the choice of a teacher fell upon a bright
young man named Zara VanLuven. He conducted the school for three §
years and otherwise made such good use of his time that he married a ;
daughter of one of the farmers of the neighbourhood, bought a little :
store at the corner that had been run by a man named Cromer, and set
up in business for himself. In the natural course of events the Van-
Luven house was blessed by the arrival of a pair of twin boys said to
have been “as like as two peas”; and the proud parents bestowed upon
them the respective names of Everton L. and Egerton L. VanLuven,
which did not tend to reduce the difficulty in distinguishing the :mis-
chievous pair of lads, who for years were among the chief attractions of
the country store. A post-office had been established in the time of
Cromer, who was the first postmaster. The name Springfield had been
assigned to the place, which name was not pleasing either to the new
i ee) eee ee
PETER PERRY.
SAMUEL CASEY.
JOHN SOLOMON CARTWRIGHT.
MARSHALL SPRING BIDWELL.
—— ae
q
i=
i:
+
i
q
_—- ao
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 821
store-keeper or the neighbourhood in general, as there were several
other post-offices bearing the same name; and it was not an unusual
occurrence for the mail intended for the Huffman Settlement to travel
about the country for weeks before it reached its proper destination.
Several meetings were held in the VanLuven home and several names
were suggested. The stirring events of the Crimean War had made the
history of Russia familiar to the minds of all, and the name of Moscow
was chosen, to commemorate the retreat of the great Napoleon from
the gates of that. city.
For over fifty years the VanLuvens, father and sons, continued in
business at the Corners. A brick store and dwelling-house were built;
and the country people for miles around bartered their produce for the
merchandise of the general merchant. As in other parts of the country,
potash was one of the staples exchanged by the merchant for the com-
modities he required in his trade. Mr. VanLuven purchased all the
wood ashes that were brought to him, and besides kept several teams
upon the road hauling ashes to the Corners, conveying the manufactured
product to Kingston, and returning laden with goods for the store. No
less than six V-shaped leaches were in constant operation producing lye
which was boiled down in large kettles, each with a capacity of several
barrels. When it had reached the proper consistency the thick fluid was
poured into the iron coolers and allowed to congeal, when it was turned
out a solid mass of potash. These huge cakes of about two hundred
and fifty pounds each were of such a size and shape that two filled a
barrel in which they were placed, and upon being headed up were ready
for the market.
The village of Enterprise has fully justified the expectations of its
godfather by growing into a neat well kept business centre, not boasting
of any extensive manufactory, but well equipped with a number of stores
of every description calculated to provide for all the wants of the thrifty
farming community in the centre of which it is located. Fifty-seven years
ago it was known as Thompson’s Corners, so named after Robert
Thompson, the first merchant to open up a general store at this place.
This store was located on the north-west corner of Concession and
Main Streets opposite the store now occupied by Dr. Carscallen. One
Adam Scott, a cobbler, had a bench in the same building, and mended
the soles and patched the boots of such of the inhabitants who were not
able to perform this service for themselves. Thompson sold out to one
_ Joseph Campbell, who for some time continued to carry on business at
the corner.
322 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The leading inhabitants had for years been agitating for a post-
office, as the nearest one was at Camden East and, when the petition
was granted the question arose as to the name, as it was felt that Thomp-
son’s Corners, while it had served the purpose as indicating the location
of Thompson’s store, was not at all suited as the name of an important
distributing point of Her Majesty’s mail. Thompson, who was looked
upon as the sage of the neighbourhood, took the matter in hand and
called upon his friend Mrs. Edward Cox, mother of Colonel Robert Cox,
to discuss the question. ‘They had both been school teachers in the
Emerald Isle and therefore were qualified to dispose of it, and after a
consultation they agreed upon the name “Enterprise,” and Enterprise it @
thereafter became and probably will remain, as the inhabitants are
- rather proud of the appellation and are doing their best to fulfil the
prophesies of those who bestowed it. At first the post-office depart-
ment provided only a weekly service; and the first mail carrier was a ;
one-legged man, who, mounted on a shambling nag, with a mail-bag
over his shoulder, fully realized the confidence placed in him by Her ;
Majesty and announced his approach to the village by several loud f
blasts on a tin horn which he carried slung over the pommel of his j
saddle. This custom evoked from the village sage the following:
“Blow ye the trumpet blow,
The gladly welcome sound, i
The mail of Enterprise has come é
So get your news and start you home,” H
which the urchins shouted after the postman as he passed along th |
street.
Campbell thought that Croydon was a more promising field for an
enterprising merchant who was beginning to feel the effects of competi-
tion, so he moved to Croydon, and the old Thompson store was closed
up. James Sherman had for some time been teaching school about half
a mile south of the Corners in an old log school-house, where most of the
older generation of that part of the township received their education,
and at the same time he lived and conducted a general store about three
fourths of a mile west of the Corners. Believing there was more money
to be made in business than in training the young idea how to shoot,
Sherman built a frame store, where Alonzo Walker now carries on
business, and moved into the old Thompson stand, which he used as a
residence. Here he continued until his death, and was succeeded by
Robert Graham, in his day one of the most prominent men of the town-
ship. He was a justice of the peace, for several years sat at the council
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH 323
board of the township, and was Camden’s representative for more than
one term in the county council. About thirty-five years ago he sold out
to Harvey S. Walker, who died in the year 1882, since then the business
has been carried on by his son Alonzo, upon the same lot, but in an
enlarged and greatly improved building.
The first hotel in the village was a frame one kept by Eli Hawley
on the corner now occupied by the Whelan House. Hawley had up to
that time, about fifty-five years ago, been an ardent advocate of temper-
ance and took a prominent part in the Sons of Temperance Lodge,
which met in a hall built for the purpose by Mr. Thomas Clancy, where
the Methodist church now stands; and his former temperance friends
expressed their indignation by composing the following:
Og, ga
“He left the Sons of Temperance
And a tavern now does keep.
He likes to see the drunken men
Go staggering down the street.”
The writer called upon a bedridden couple, Jethro Card and his
» wife Amarilla, still living in the village, both of whom have seen their
four-score years and ten; and the old gentleman, not yet quite recovered
from the humiliation he felt over the offence, stated that he brought to
Eli Hawley’s tavern the first barrel of whiskey that ever came to Enter-
prise. He said he obtained it at Jack Raney’s, about midway between
Newburgh and Camden East, where the Thompson Paper-mill is now,
and paid for it the fabulous sum of tenpence per gallon. Hawley sold
out to Charles Paisley of Napanee, who was followed by Peter Wager
and Hugh Rankin, who tore down the old building and in 1879 built the
present frame one still used as a public-house. It has, since its erection,
passed successively through the hands of Michael O’Dea, John Whelan,
his widow Catharine Whelan, to the present occupant, their son Michael
Whelan.
? When Hawley sold out his tavern he built the store now occupied
by Dr. Carscallen, where for a number of years he carried on a general
store; and when Graham sold out to Walker he moved into the Hawley
store, where he dealt in drugs and stationery and kept the post-office,
and was succeeded, except for a short interval, by the present occupant,
Dr. A. B. Carscallen. The first church in Enterprise was built by the
_ Wesleyan Methodists where the Church of England now stands., The
_ Episcopal Methodists for a long time met in the Sons of Temperance
Hall opposite the cheese factory; and after the two bodies united, they
‘sold the former building to the Church of England, and built the hand-
_
324 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
some brick church on the site of the Temperance Hall. The cheese fac-
tory across the way was built by Thomas Clancy in 1871 and was then
and still is one of the best conducted factories in the county.
The old Hamilton House was built, about the year 1859, by Chris-
topher Grass, who ran it for a number of years and then sold out to
Samuel Hamilton. 7
Mrs. Jethro Card remembers when nearly all of the township of
Camden was a dense forest with large areas of impassable swamps. She
was questioned as to the place of her birth and replied, “At the Falls,”
and when asked “What Falls?” she replied, “The Napanee,” a form of
expression in common use eighty years ago. She apologized for her
lack of learning saying, “You know we were poor and the nearest school
was four or five miles away, too far away for me to go in the winter;
and in the summer the girls worked in the field and bush the same as
the boys.” Her husband remembers when the wolves and deer were
“thick as bees” about Mud Lake. “TI could go out and get a dozen deer
at a time if I had cared to,” remarked the old gentleman. His elderly
spouse was asked if she ever wore a deer-skin dress and she, evidently
regarding that uniform as the mark of a squaw, promptly replied, “No,
I never came down to that. We had good linen dresses. We raised,
heckled, spun, and wove the flax ourselves, and made our own flannel
and full-cloth. No, we were poor, but we had lots of warm clothes.”
In the early part of the nineteenth century George Wagar moved
from Fredericksburgh and took up land two miles east of Centreville;
but at that time neither Centreville nor Enterprise was in existence. A
trail through the forest and an occasional log cabin in a small clearing,
and very few of them, were the only signs of human habitation in that
part of Camden. Bath was the only place where supplies could be
obtained to advantage, and many a time did he send his son, John V.
Wagar, on horseback through the woods to the stores in the old village
on the bay shore. If this old pioneer could return to the old homestead
to-day, which is still in the family, and observe the change which has
come over the territory he used to frequent, he would find a village
greater than Bath almost at his very door, one railway running north
and south, another east and west in the course of construction, and his
grandson the proud proprietor of one of the most up-to-date general
stores in the county. The merchantile houses of Walker and Wagar
have been the mainstays of the village for over a quarter of a century.
In 1876 Joel Damon Wagar first left the farm for what he believed
would be an easier life, and opened a small store in the east end of the
village in partnership with R. L. Henry of Napanee. At the end of tw
2 er a a ne me
CAMDEN AND NEWBURGH - 825
years he bought out his partner and for a short time occupied the Walker
corner, as it is now called. He then moved across the street to a large
frame store, where he remained until a few years ago, when he built
the imposing brick one in which he is still seeking for that easier life.
The following are the men who have conducted most of the busi-
ness of Enterprise during the past fifty years:
Store-keepers: Robert. Thompson, James Campbell, James Sher-
man, Graham & Woolfe, James Pike, Harvey S. Walker, R. H. Peters,
’ Robert H. Wickham, J. D. Wagar, A. B. Carscallen, Robert Cox,
7 Edmund Fenwick, S. B. Merrill, R. S. Milligan, R. J. Leroy, Walker &
i¢ Davy, T. Kenny, E. J. Wagar, Alonzo Walker, Caton Bros., P. Martin
& Co., S. Wagar.
_ Carriage makers and blacksmiths: Orrin Card, Eli Hawley, Wm.
Stafford, Thomas Babcock, Wm. Jackson, Charles Lockwood, Jeremiah
Lockwood, James Vanalstine, Dorland Wagar, Leonard Wagar, Well-
ington Wagar, W. L. Peters, Edwin Lockwood, W. J. Millow, David
Mouck, A. E. Smith, W. E. Lobb, M. King.
Shoemakers: Sylvanus Cronk, Robert N. Clark, James Pyke,
George G. Wagar, Christ. Lyman.
Cabinet-makers: Eugene Cox, George Files.
Harness makers: George Dick, Wiley Keach, Reuben Card, C.
Keach, J. W. Brown, Asa Harten.
Mill Managers: Wm. Fenwick, J. Lockwood, Enterprise Milling
Co., W. S. Fenwick & Sons.
326 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XX
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS
The Township of Sheffield was named after John Baker Holroyd,
Lord Sheffield (1734-1821), an Irish peer, greatly interested in the North
American trade and in the Colonial Empire of Great Britain.
Accompanied by Mr. P. F. Carscallen, one of the veterans of the
township of Sheffield, the writer strolled through the streets of Tam-
worth loitering here and there at a corner, and from his guide gathered
the following information concerning that interesting village.
Calvin Wheeler was the first white man of any consequence to settle
in the township of Sheffield. He owned four hundred acres of land
lying east of Main Street. If we cross the river over the wooden bridge
we find to our left a knoll, and over the top of. it we observe a depres-
sion—that depression was a continuation of the road along the east bank
of the river which no longer goes over the knoll but turns at right
angles and proceeds eastwards. Taking our stand upon this knoll we
command a view of several points of interest. Looking northerly
between the banks of the stream about a quarter of a mile distant,
standing in the hollow is the residence of Mr. James Donovan. Upon
that spot stood the first house built in the township of Sheffield, a log
cabin, the forest home of Calvin Wheeler. At the edge of the bank
near by he built a saw-mill and threw a small dam across the river and,
on a small scale for a few years carried on a lumbering business, until
he conceived the idea of moving farther down stream. He next con-
structed a dam just below and a little to the right of the knoll, about
forty feet north of the cement dam recently built by Mr. A. B. Cars-
callen. At the western end of the dam he erected a saw-mill, and on the
eastern bank about a hundred feet farther down stream a grist-mill.
We can see where the knoll has been pared away to make room for the
foundation of the shed that stood in front of the grist-mill.
The old road that passed over the knoll and along the eastern bank
of the river to the first mill was abandoned, the old bridge up near the
site of the Donovan homestead was neglected and subsequently washed
away, and a new bridge built where the wooden one now stands. In
ern route was out by the road now passing the Presbyterian manse, on
the olden days the only public highway leading to the front by the west- er
a?
2
—
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 327
through the south-east corner of Hungerford to Westplain, then called
Sedore’s Corners, and then to Forest Mills, known at that time as
McNeil’s Mills, as this was one of the points where Archie McNeil of
Napanee carried on his lumbering operations. The road then continued
southward to Selby, on past Gallagher’s Corners a little east of that vil-
lage, and the traveller reached his destination by way of Vine’s Corners.
When the new bridge was built just south of the grist-mill the road
leading from it out over the hill was followed instead of the one past
the Presbyterian manse, but in other respects the same circuitous route
to Napanee was the only passable road to that village west of the Salmon
River.
It will be observed that there is a bend in the road around the dwell-_
ing-house of Mr. James Wheeler which stands on the road allowance.
That house was the first one built in Tamworth and was the home of
his grandfather, Calvin Wheeler, who owned all the land in that vicinity
and, regardless of the road allowance, chose that spot as the site for his
dwelling. Later on, when he deemed it prudent to lay out a street with
defined boundaries whereby to reach the bridge, he conducted it around
his house, and in so doing had to cut down and cart away a small sugar-
loaf knoll which obstructed the passage in front of where the Orange
Hall now stands. Nearly opposite his residence and east of the Orange
Hall he built a frame store, where he carried on a thriving business for
years, until he moved into more commodious quarters, the old building
still standing opposite the sheds of the Wheeler House.
In 1848 Wheeler’s Mills, as the village was then called, began to
assume some importance; and the few scattered inhabitants petitioned
the government for a post-office, as the nearest point from which they
could obtain their mail was Camden East. The prayer was granted,
and Wheeler was asked to select a name for the office. He had always
been an ardent admirer of the eminent English statesman, Sir Robert
Peel, member of Parliament for Tamworth, and he thought he could
choose no more fitting name for the new post-office than the constitu-
ency represented by his favourite prime minister of England. It was
an eventful day in midwinter when Sam Hicks appeared at the top of
the hill plying the whip to his steaming nag, which, with a mad rush,
galloped down the decline and came to a sudden halt in front of |
Wheeler’s store. Sam dropped his reins and hauled from beneath the
seat and delivered into the hands of James Wheeler the first bag of Her
Majesty’s mail to arrive in the village, while the bystanders tossed their
caps into the air and cheered lustily for the first Sheffield mail carrier.
828 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
The old grist-mill near the bridge was torn down years ago,-and on
its site was built a carding-mill, which in turn was pulled down and the
‘material used in the small building standing a few yards north of Mr.
Carscallen’s new one. The products of the Wheeler saw-mill were
squared timbers, deals, and staves, the latter being used in the West
Indian trade for the manufacture of molasses casks. The timbers were
floated down the river to Shannonville during the spring freshets, and
the deals and staves followed by the same route later in the season. At
Shannonville the timbers were constructed into rafts and on them were
piled the deals and staves; and when all were fastened they were towed
away on their long voyage down the St. Lawrence.
Facing southward from our point of vantage on the knoll we notice
an old frame building, now known as “the cottage” standing not far
from the eastern end of the bridge. This was also built by Calvin
Wheeler and in its day was regarded as a very handsome house, second
only to Wheeler’s. To the south of the cottage stood a tannery, long
since crumbled away, and to the north on the corner was Jackson’s dis-
tillery, where whiskey could be purchased at two shillings a gallon.
Between 1850 and 1860 the small patches in the forest began to
assume respectable proportions. Northward from the knoll lies a tract
of good farm land which was settled principally by Irishmen, while
southward on the same side of the river opposite the present railway
station was another small colony from the Emerald Isle. At this time
the Crimean war was being fiercely waged, and every ship from the
old land brought news of the latest battles, in which the Irish regi-
ments were achieving distinction. Their fellow-countrymen in the two
settlements above referred to used to gather about the huge fireplace in
the old Wheeler House, which also owed its origin to the enterprising
Calvin Wheeler, and before the blazing hearth-logs discussed with no
small degree of pride the deeds of valour of their fellow-countrymen at
Sebastopol and Balaklava. So common were these gatherings and so
frequent the references to these two celebrated battles that the Irish set-
tlement up stream was christened Balaklava and the smaller one down
stream Sebastopol, which names they retain to the present day; but the
former name did not fit well the Irish tongue and has become corrupted
into Ballyhack. The road running past the cottage and on down
through Sebastopol formerly followed the devious course of the river’s
bank, but in time was straightened and laid out as it now is, and the
roadway was converted into gardens and sites for the residences now
along the eastern side of the stream.
ere Ps adi
|
-
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 329
Main Street was laid out by Calvin Wheeler and Champ Smith, and
that part of it now lying between Rose’s corner and the iron bridge was
sixty years ago a swamp in which one was in danger of being mired,
especially during the spring months. The first building erected in this
part of the village was the Douglas tavern, built by the late Robert
Lockridge. Shortly afterwards Wheeler built a town-hall on the site
of the present brick one. Prior to the building of the old hall the courts
and public meetings were held in the upper story of Wheeler’s drive
house, which was reached by an outside stairway, and before this provi-
sion was made a room in the tavern was set apart for the purpose.
The first church in the village was the old Wesleyan Methodist,
which stood between the Douglas tavern and the town-hall; and the first
man to minister to the spiritual needs of that congregation was a local
preacher named Christopher Thompson. He was a whole-souled, devout
old gentleman, who formerly lived near the head of Hay Bay on Big
Creek, but moved north to a farm on Beaver Lake. He had a large
family and kept open house to all who passed his way, with the result
that he lived and died a poor man. He was loved and respected by all,
and in his declining years, when his earning powers were sensibly
reduced, all denominations turned out to the Methodist tea meetings and
contributed liberally to this means of replenishing his slender purse.
The first circuit rider to establish an appointment at Wheeler’s Mills
was the Rev. Robert Corson, who with the Rev. Gilbert Miller were the
ministers in charge of the Napanee circuit which, at the time, about the
year 1842, extended from Hay Bay to Lime Lake.
If the little old blacksmith shop on the hill were capable of feeling
and had a tongue to give expression to it, it would exclaim in the words
of Hamlet “to what base uses we may return”; for where now is heard
the creaking of the bellows and the anvil’s shrill song there resounded
sixty years ago the piping voices of the first school children of Sheffield ;
and until a few years ago there could be deciphered on the window-sill
the scribbling of one of those self-same children, now an old man who
has passed the allotted span. Like all school-houses of that day there
was a shelf fixed to the wall, which served as a desk, and before it was
a rough bench with no back to it, so that when the pupils were at work
they sat with their faces to the wall. The first teacher was Mr. Charles
Chadwick, a young man, who, before engaging in the profession, had
served as a clerk in Mr. Charles Warner’s store at Colebrook. He was
a bright young fellow with a good word for every one he met, and had
None of those disagreeable experiences which. too frequently befell the
lot of the pedagogue of long ago.
330 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Before the first Methodist Church was built on Main Street that
denomination held their services in the old school-house. The Epis-
copalians used to meet in Wheeler’s residence, where the Rev. “Daddy”
Shirley, as he was affectionately called, used to come periodically to
minister to the faithful few who were not content with the homespun
service of the farmer preacher from Beaver Lake. Father Pendergrass
of Centreville came regularly through the woods to the home of Bartley
McMullen to care for the somewhat larger flock of Roman Catholics.
Tamworth now has three Churches, the Methodist, originally the
Methodist Episcopal, built in 1868, the Church of England, 1865, and
the Presbyterian in 1889. On the east side of the river, commanding
a view of the surrounding country for miles, there was erected, in 1912,
through the enterprise of the leading men of the village and adjacent
territory, a handsome Continuation School, equipped in the most mod-
ern style and in every way a credit to the community.
About fifty or sixty years ago John and Robert Grange built the
saw-mill down stream below the railway bridge and later on built on the
other side of the stream the grist-mill, which was destroyed by fire.
Tamworth has during the past twenty years been visited by two destruc-
tive fires which wiped out nearly all the buildings on Main Street; but
their places were soon filled by better and more handsome ones of brick,
so that at the present time the business section of the village has a thor-
oughly up-to-date appearance. The residential sections have kept pace
with the improvements on Main Street; and the.citizens may justly be
proud of their tidy little village.
The reader may readily gather from the foregoing that Sheffield and
its principal village owe much to the energy and enterprise of Calvin
Wheeler, who, full of confidence in the future of the township, took up
his residence there at a time when the forest had scarcely been touched.
There were no roads nor bridges, and he led the life of a pioneer, under-
going many trials and hardships; but lived to see his forecasts verified.
He was born in Vermont about the time of the War of Independence;
but his parents did not join the Loyalists, although they sympathized
with them, and young Calvin was taught to respect the British flag. q
During the war of 1812 the lessons of his early childhood again
manifested their power in the breast of the full-grown man; he felt that
the British cause was just, and broke away from his uncongenial envir- —
onment, came to Canada, and settled on the Napanee River near the site _
of the village of Strathcona. While there he was engaged for many
years in the lumber business, when he concluded that it could be carr
on to better advantage in one of the northern townships, so he ac
- *
ee al a 1 A a OS Nee ep
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 331
ingly commenced operations on the Salmon River. His influence was
not limited to the village he built up; but was felt throughout the entire
; district. He was a justice of the peace, a commissioner in the Courts of
Requests, and for many years a representative of the northern town-
; ships in the Midland District council. He took an active interest in all
public matters and attained the rank of major in the Militia. He kept
in touch with the leading questions of the day, was kind-hearted and
generous, and more than once when the township was short of funds he
opened his own wallet and met the expense of some needed improve-
ment. It is said that the first town-hall and school-house were both
built by him and donated to the municipality.
Tamworth, like Newburgh, has passed its newspaper era. In Sep-
tember, 1879, Mr. Asa Cronk made the venture. He came originally
from the township of Ameliasburgh in Prince Edward County and had
been experimenting in journalism for a time at Mill Point. The lumber
village had for nearly two years given him sparingly of its patronage,
and in'the summer and autumn of 1879 had been too busy fighting an
epidemic of small-pox to pay much attention to the appeal for support —
from the Mill Point Echo; so Cronk concluded that he had no further
use for Mill Point, and pulled up his stakes, moved to Tamworth, and
; set up his press in the shop now occupied by Mr. John O’Brien.
The villagers were rather proud of the idea of a local paper and
did all they could to encourage the proprietor of the Echo. Cronk was
a pleasant fellow to meet and formed maffy friends in the village; but
the novelty of the personal column soon wore off and, when an election
came on, the editor, although he had announced in the first number that
he would take an independent course in politics, buckled on his political
armour and proved himself to be a splendid fighter in the eyes of one
party and an objectionable antagonist from the standpoint of the other
side. His editorials were few and weak, and in a few months he had
exhausted his stock-in-trade of jokes upon the local questions. The
news he furnished to his readers was just such as might be expected
from a newspaper with a small circulation published in a country village.
It was correctly named the Echo and presented in a condensed form
such news as could be gathered from the Toronto dailies, ands his
exchanges. For three years it continued to make its weekly appearance,
until in 1882 the proprietor thought he saw less worry and perhaps bet-
ter wages in the custom-house at Wallaceburgh. In a neat little speech
the editor thanked the good people of Sheffield and the north country
_ for their support, regretted parting from so many friends, tenderly com-
mitted the Echo to its grave, folded his tents, and moved to Wallace-
~ “@aee
332 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
‘The Sheffield elections were looked forward to fifty years ago as
one of the occasions of the year, when one might expect something ©
exciting. There was little privacy about the polls, and the open vote
left no opportunity for concealing how the electors had voted. The
excitement did not always end on election day, as is evidenced from the
following extract from the minutes of the council of 1855:
“Pursuant to law I have this 15th day of January, 1855, met at the
inn of Mr. William Hayes for the purpose of organizing the newly
elected councillors for the present year, but from the appearance of a
riotous mob who surrounded me and the many threats circulated by them
that they would take the life of myself if I would not agree to their
request, therefore, in order to preserve the peace I deemed it necessary
to withdraw and notify the members returned to me to attend on another
day.”
(Signed) ‘Patrick Gafney
Clerk.”
The following is a list of the leading business firms in Tamworth
since the first saw-mill was established there:
Merchants: C. & J. Wheeler, Alonzo Wheeler, Robert Helms, R. &
J. Herchimer, Loyst & Keller, George Miller, Franklin Seldon, Henry
Douglas, Richard Douglas, Robert Downey & Bro., Forshee & Cham-
berlain, Hooper & Oliver, Hinch & Thornton, John Sherman, Charles
Shields, John W. Shorey, Robert McD. Smith, Robert McMullen, Mun-
roe Bros., Robt. Paul, John’ Reid, Jr., Hawley Thornton, Reuben W.
Vandewater, C. G. Coxall, A. C. Douglass, J. R. Fraser, J. A. Fraser,
Alex. Hassard, Lawrence Way, G. S. Hinch, Jas. E. Perry & Co., L.
Way & Co., John W. Fuller, David Philips, T. M. Barry, W. E. Wilson,
W. H. Millburn, J. M. Storring, Carscallen & Wagar, Thornton &
Weighill, W. A. Fuller, A. B. Carscallen, C. A. Jones & Son.
Blacksmiths: Robert Helms, James Kirk, Matthew Wormworth,
Robert Paul, W. J. & J. Shields, John Copeland, Elias McKim, E. & A.
McKim, Robt. Perry, G. M. Richardson, Edw. Dawson, Jas. Shields,
Wm. Garrett, J. C. Mouck, H. Richardson, J. A. Hunter.
Cheese Box Manufacturers: John Fraser, George Woods.
*Shoemakers: Nicholas Bence, John Storring, George Bolger, George ~
Detlor, D. Williamson, Wm. sen John Reed, G. P. York, John |
O’Brien. 7
Carriage Makers: John Theeaphens Wm. Parks, James Shields, J. E
A. Hunter, Newton Carscallen, Sherman Martin. __ ;
Undertakers: Knight & Busby, E. M. McKim, Taylor & Co. =
Wheel-wrights: David Ring, John Thompson, A. N. Carscallen he Rb
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 333
| Saddlers and Harness Makers: George Davids, George Goodwin,
} George Bruton, George Corran, L. P. Wells.
Cabinet-makers: J. Thurston, B. F. Smith, Knight & Busby.
Tanners: George Miller, Nicholas Baker, John Rain, George C.
Miller, Andrew E. Markland, Jas. Elliott. i
Carding-Mill: Richard Jones, D. Mitchell & Son, C. A. Jones.
Coopers: Samuel Robertson, Edward Ring, John Drader, M. Stor-
ring.
Druggists: Aylesworth & Huffman, Jas. Aylesworth, Rose & Rose,
C. R. Jones, D. E. Rose, C. H. Rose.
Tailors: Henry Hooper, Patrick Harvey, John Floyd, Wm. Covert,
John Floyd & Son.
Millers: John Jackson, John & Robert Grange, Gideon Joyner,
Hiram Keach, A. S. Blight, Keach & Vannest, R. Richardson, W. D.
Mace, A. B. Carscallen.
Sawyers: C. Wheeler, John Jackson, Grange Bros., H. & G. Joyner,
Albert Milligan, W. D. Mace, J. E. Woodcock & Sons.
Any one visiting Erinsville need not seek far to ascertain the origin
of its name. It would be disclosed in the features and dialect of the
first person he met; and enter any house he chose he would be received
with a right whole-souled Hibernian welcome. Nearly all the Irish that
came to this county seventy years ago seemed to gravitate towards that
part of Sheffield, and the same nationality has maintained the ascendency
ever since. ‘he little hamlet began with a blacksmith shop sixty years
ago; and the inevitable tavern was opened by Pat Gafney a few years
later, and with all its changes of fortune there has been no period in its
history from that day to this, that the tavern has not been very much in
evidence. Patrick met with the misfortune of being burned out; but his
custom soon passed over to Richard Mahoney, the oldest hotel keeper
in the county, who for forty-five years has met his guests with the same
ruddy countenance and beaming smile. Mahoney was called upon to
share the honours with Nicholas Phelan, and afterwards with Phelan’s
son William. The Phelans began business in a rather unpretentious
frame building, which was followed by a more commodious brick one,
- which survived its landlord by two years, when it was burned.
Napanee has its annual bachelors’ ball, and the different villages in
the county have their parties, hops, and various species of terpsichorean
entertainments ; but for downright unrestrained mirth, all of these have
yielded first place to the famous Erinsville dance organized by Nicholas _
Phelan so long ago that it is recognized, especially by the young people
of Sheffield, as the one great event of the year. Held at the festive sea-
re
ur |
334 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
son of the New Year, when troubles are forgotten, it is the one occasion
above all others that brings out the best there is in the light-hearted Irish
lads and lassies of all the surrounding country. It is none of your slow,
dreamy, new-fangled glides, where the pale-faced young man, in swal-
low-tailed coat, apologetically attempts to direct the movements of the
sylph-like form whose favour he has craved by a delicate touch of the
tips of his white gloved fingers. No! it is the good old-fashioned dance
with some life and action in it!
To secure uniformity ot time the fiddler does the “calling off” and
when he announces “swing your partner” there is no uncertainty about
the execution of the order; and “balance all” gives each performer an
opportunity to display his and her latest achievement in mastering a
difficult and soul-stirring jig. Refreshments follow, and plenty of them:
—none of your dainty trifles, lady’s fingers and bon-bons!—but good,
wholesome, substantial food that satisfies the inward craving for nour-
ishment and fortifies the recipients and prepares them for another bout
upon the floor.
The fiddler, too, takes a well earned “spell,” tucks away a few pounds
of roast turkey, mince-pie and pound-cake, after which he is ready to
officiate a few hours more at the bow. He is a man of some import-
ance, and his stentorian voice may be heard above the uproar and laugh-
ter summoning the young men to secure their partners for the next
dance,—while his fiddle wails and screeches undergoing the tuning pro-
cess. He is the privileged character of the occasion and does not hesitate
to comment upon the awkward performance of some bashful debutant
or join in familiar badinage with any of the guests who give him an
opportunity to display his wit. No one thinks of leaving before five
o’clock in the morning, when all join in some familiar reel, after which
the sleighs and cutters are brought over from the church sheds, neigh-
bouring barns and stables and, amid peals of laughter and the jingling
of bells, the merry guests disperse for their respective homes.
The stores of Erinsville have never carried large stocks nor done
an extensive business, but merely catered to the simpler wants of the
immediate neighbourhood. Tamworth has from its commencement
secured the greater portion of the trade of the township. Erinsville has
the largest Roman Catholic church in the county; and rain or shine,
good roads or bad, the congregation will be found in their pews at every
regular service. The Sheffield Irishmen are blunt and outspoken and
sometimes more demonstrative than is necessary; but for fair and
honest dealing and a general observance of law and order they cannot
be excelled by any community in the county.
:
7
;
-
Ww
y
a
irene
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 335
Herbert F. Gardiner in Nothing but Names suggests several pos-
sible derivations of the name Kaladar, but is rather inclined to favour
the theory that it is derived from an East Indian word “Killidar,” mean-
ing “a governor of a fort.” It is difficult to conceive the connection
between the two or to understand why the individual selecting the name
should go to India to secure one. Another suggestion is that it is
derived from Kildare, the name of a county in Ireland, and a third,
which is not seriously put forward, is that it is a corruption of “Kill a
deer,” and so named owing to the abundance of that game in that part
of the county. The old residents pronounce the name “Killdare” which
might point to the second theory; but the incredulous will ask if it be
named after Kildare the Irish county, why spell the word Kaladar?
Anglesea is named after Henry William Paget, Earl of Uxbridge
and Marquis of Anglesea, who was born in 1768 and died in 1854. He
was a famous soldier, winning distinction at the battle of Waterloo,
where as second in command to the Duke of Wellington, he commanded
the allied cavalry. He was created a Marquis and had conferred upon
him the order of the Bath and Garter, and in 1828 was created Lord-
Lieutenant and Governor-General of Ireland, where he won the esteem
and good-will of the Irish people. Anglesea, from which he takes his
title, is the name of an Island and County in Wales.
Abinger is named after Sir James Scarlett, Baron Abinger, of
Abinger, Surrey, who in 1827 was Attorney-General of Great Britain,
and in 1834 was Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
Effingham takes its name from Henry Howard, Earl of Effingham.
Denbigh was called after Denbighshire in Wales, which is famous
for its mines of lead, iron, and coal.
There are no less than fifteen villages in England named Ashby,
besides the market town of Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire, which
has a ruined castle, once the prison of Mary, Queen of Scots. From
some one or more of these the township of Ashby derives its name.
In taking the census in 1851-2 the enumerator took no notice of
the townships north of Sheffield. At that time the Addington Road
had not been built; and the only human beings in that extensive territory
were stich as might be found in the lumber camps, and especially in the
vicinity of Flinton, which was known as Flint’s Mills. In 1855, when
the new road was nearing completion, Kaladar and Anglesea, which for
municipal purposes were joined to Sheffield, appeared from the assess-
ment roll of that year to have forty-six ratepayers and sixty-eight actual
_ occupiers of the land. Thirteen hundred and sixty acres were returned
as under cultivation; and this estimate was probably far in excess of
336 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
the crop bearing acreage, and included all the cleared land in the two
townships.
No mention whatever was made of Abinger and Denbigh which
formed a part of that great northern wild, scarcely touched yet even by
the lumberman. The one man familiar with every phase of that section
of the country was Ebenezer Perry; and to him the government intrusted
the supervision of the construction of the Addington Road, sometimes
called the Perry Road; and after it was built he was appointed land
agent, with headquarters at Flinton. This road, according to the official
documents published at the time, “commencing in the township of
Anglesea, in the northern part of the county of Addington, near the
village of Flint’s Mills in Kaladar, runs almost due north to the River
Madawaska, a distance of 35 miles, and is to be continued thence for the
distance of 25 miles till it intersects the Ottawa and Opeongo Road.”
The purpose of this road was to open for settlement the townships
of Abinger, Denbigh, Ashby, Effingham, and Barrie; and it was the duty
of Mr. Perry to locate the settlers and see that the homestead duties
were performed. He was authorized to allot to every bona fide settler
_ who had attained eighteen years of age one hundred acres, upon condi-
tion that certain duties were to be performed before he could obtain a
title to his land. He was to take possession within one month of the
date of allotment, and put in a state of cultivation at least twelve acres
of the land in the course of four years,—build a house, (at least 20 by
18 feet) and reside on the lot until the conditions of settlement were
duly performed. Mr. Perry was very enthusiastic over the north coun-
try and devoted himself most assiduously to the task assigned him.
Five questions dealing with the nature of the country and its probable
future were submitted to him in 1856, and in preparing his answers
thereto he went into the matter so exhaustively and covered the ground
so intelligently and thoroughly that they form the best treatise ever pub-
lished concerning that part of this county. The questions and answers
as published in 1858 in the Journal and Transactions of the Board of
Agriculture of Upper Canada are here reproduced at length:
“Are the lands in the back country of a quality to reward the agri-
culturist for his labours?” “I would beg leave to say that in my opinion —
they are. The soil is a sandy loam, more or less coloured with a vege-_
table mould. It is made up of the decomposed granite hills that crop —
out at stated intervals all over the back regions. The silica, of which
those rocks partake i in abundance, is crumbled to atoms pick She Beis :
SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD.
SIR RICHARD CARTWRIGHT, JAMES N. LAPUM.
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 337
lichen, which thrives in our driest weather on the bare granite, and
without seeming effort, by the action of its roots, daily detaches small
particles and deposits them at the base of the rocks in debris. Thus in
my opinion the soil is made up of the silica or sand of the surrounding
rocks.”
“There is a feature in the growth of the timber on the lands in ques-
tion, in connection with the fertility of the soil, that I do not under-
stand. Where hardwood predominates, the soil is a dark loamy sand;
where pine takes the lead, a pale yellow sand is found. The whole drift
has one common origin. The yellow sand bears by far the most lofty
gigantic trees; some having yielded to the lumbermen seven thirteen-
feet logs, the lumber of which was fit for the American market; and
one stump which I measured I found it to be five feet two inches across,
not including the bark; and yet the yellow sand gives a much less yield
of grain to the farmer. Where the dark loams have had a fair trial, the
yield has been equal to the most favoured soils of the frontier townships,
wheat, rye, oats, peas, barley, and Indian corn all flourish; potatoes and
other bulbous roots exceed the growth in older townships. I have in no
instance seen clover tried, but am of opinion that at no distant day, if
attention is turned towards it, that clover seed will be one of the staples
of this section of the country.”
“Is not the land so broken by the granite hills as to isolate the set-
tlers, and thus mar the social interchanges of life?” “I think that if I
say no to this question I shall be fully borne out by facts; the granite
ranges run nearly east and west, and consequently the valleys and tuffs
must have a corresponding course. Now the Addington Road ranges to
a north course, and consequently crosses the valleys that lie between
here and the Madawaska; the first and largest valley is found just
beyond the rocky range, or fourteen miles north of the River Clare.
This range of rocks, over which the Addington Road runs, by winding
through its gulches, is nearly a barren waste; then you come on land that
is fit for settlement; it is about five miles from where the rocky range
loses itself to the rear of Kaladar; and about six miles of the road-lots
are entered for settlement, making a distance of eleven miles across the
valley, that in all probability will be settled.
“Nor is this all; many lots beyond those taken afford a sufficient
amount of plough land to insure their settlement before you come to the
next broken range, which occurs at the head of Massenoga Lake; and
even there some redeeming qualities are found. You remember that I
said that the valleys run east and west, so a large settlement will find its
way in there ere long. I do not wish to be understood to say that all the
338 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
area here spoken of is fit for cultivation—there is too much broken land
abounding through this district to suit me—but I wish to say that the
township of Kaladar has a fair portion of excellent land; that of Barrie,
Denbigh, and Ashby will be, when cleared and tilled, equal-in quality of
soil and quantity of plough land in proportion to their area, after deduct-
ing the water, to either Camden or Ernesttown.
“Anglesea, Abinger, and Effingham are more broken. After you
leave the head of the-Massenoga Lake, the road passes over a rough
range of rocky ground, covered with fine groves of pine, interspersed
with patches of hardwood land. Those patches of hardwood land are
sufficiently numerous to induce settlers to occupy probably the road line
through this range; but as you approach the Madawaska River, a river
as large in appearance as the Trent, you pass a rich rolling country,
watered with the purest springs, whose tiny brooks are filled with
speckled trout, and whose hills are clothed with the red beech that have
innumerable marks of bears’ claws, that ascend and descend them
annually for the mast. If you would ascend a high hill that skirts this
valley, at whose base the road runs, you would see down on both sides
of the river the pale green foliage of the hardwood in strong contrast
with the deeper tints of the evergreens. The hardwood land on this side
occupies seven or eight miles in width, and to all appearance is as wide
as the other side of the river.”
“What chance has the settlement in getting iri supplies, and which
is the best road to the land?” ‘There are two ways for settlers to
approach the lands, and supplies can be got by either. First up the
Madawaska, from Bytown and Perth—this is but a winter road, and can-
not be travelled until frost sets in and bridges the lakes and rivers; by
_this route, up to this time, all the provision and provender has been sent —
to supply the lumbering districts on the Madawaska; and the supplies
have to be got in one year before they are used; this route is expensive
and unsafe, as an open winter or a general thaw closes the road; the
other is the Addington Road itself; this is much the safest, cheapest,
and shortest route—it being about forty miles nigher the bridge over
the Madawaska from Kingston than from the City of Ottawa, and the
whole of the Addington Road is securely bridged; so that when the
snow sets in the road is available—and ere long it will be a summer road
as well; the main obstruction at the present time is the first sixteen
miles from Clare, on which some forty or fifty men are engaged with
bars, picks, barrows, carts, etc., and with the aid of fire and sledges, are
battering off the high points of the granite rocks, and filling up the low ©
-
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 339
places, so that in a few weeks both settlers and lumber merchants can
receive supplies any day in the year.”
“The best way at present for people at a distance to approach the
land is to take Hayes’ stage, which starts on the east side of the market
house in Kingston every Tuesday and Friday, and it will set them down
within five miles of the commencement of the Addington Road; but as
soon as the cars start, Mr. Hayes intends to run his stage to Napanee,
which then will be the shortest and cheapest route to the lands on the
Addington Road, Tamworth, Centreville, Newburgh, and Napanee. All
villages through which the stage will pass afford facilities to obtain sup-
plies for the settlement or shanties.”
“How and where will they dispose of their surplus if they have
any?” “Every intelligent man knows that if there be no avenues to
dispose of the surplus produce when raised, that it will destroy the
energies of any man however industrious he may be; he will not put
forth his physical strength merely to raise grain to rot in the stacks or
perish in his granary. I assure you that this alternative will never take
place in my opinion; and if it do, the time is so remote that this genera-
tion need not entertain any fear about the matter—not that there is to
be no surplus raised, for if settlers use but common industrious habits,
in the space of three or four years a large surplus must be the conse-
quence, for the rich loams of that region will pay the farmer with no
niggardly hand; but the demand will for years overreach the supply—
new settlers will be consumers before they are producers, and the vast
amount of lumbering all along the Madawaska and its tributaries will
require more than the settlement can yield for years. Last winter a
score of sleighs passed daily at the end of the bridge I was helping to
build over the Madawaska, loaded with pork, flour, oats, hay, and gro-
ceries, and I was informed by some of the lumber merchants, that the
supplies had hardly commenced going up. There are forty miles of a
pine growing country between here and the Madawaska not cut off -
and if two miles per year should be taken, it will last for twenty years
yet; and if the supply shall exceed the wants of the lumberers and set-
tlers, the excess can be converted into beef, mutton, and pork, and
driven to the railroad, and pass to the frontier markets.”
“The probable future of the settlement?’ “The answer to this in
some measure must be like a fancy sketch—the imagination must stretch
forward, and predict the future—it must unfold the leaf of fate, and
read events that are locked up in the escritoire of time. Sages tell us
_ that we may judge the future by the past; if so, I look forward at no
distant day for an industrious, intelligent, and rich population to be
340 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
spread over the lands of our interior. The first half of the nineteenth
century has changed the destiny of the human race, and in no place has
its effects been more visibly portrayed than in our province. We are
just emerging into manhood, untramelled by customs or manners made
venerable by their antiquity; there is no arena here that the prejudices
and usages of a sturdy race of men could not combat inch by inch the
ground sought to be occupied by the improvers of our age; we have
nought to do but adopt the new fashion and we are as much at home in
it as our grandsires were in theirs.” .
“The first settlers in our country had to contend with many obstacles
that have no existence now—they had no roads, nor mills, nor mechan-
ics—nor had they any place to apply to for bread for their famishing
children, or seed grain, if a crop failed them—nor had they teams to
assist them to move the ponderous logs from their new chopped fallows.
Yet by incessant toil, perseverance, and economy, they prevailed and
made homes worthy of themselves. And shall we, the sons of such
sires, hesitate to leave the refuse shallow soils that overlay the limestone
beds of the frontier townships, and go on the rich loams of the interior,
where (thanks to the men who control the destinies of our province at
the present time) government is constructing a good summer road, over
a barrier that would have eternally shut out private enterprise?”
“Our fathers plunged into the forest with a scanty stock of provi-
sions on their backs, followed by our mothers with the wardrobe and
cooking utensils, threading their way by untrodden paths to the place
where they intended to plant their vineyard. Contrast the event of ©
their settlement with the facilities that we enjoy—we now jog along by
steam—we converse by lightning; and think you that our new settle-
ment will be debarred the privilege of partaking of the recently
developed impetus that impels forward the destinies of the human race?
I tell you no! A decade will suffice to perform what formerly con-
sumed a century—in ten years the rich valley of the Madawaska, and
the no less rich tuffs or valleys that lie scattered among the granite
range between here and there, will teem with life and the bustle of com-
merce. The stroke of the axe, the noise of the shuttle, and the ring of ©
the anvil, will commingle with the bellowing of the herds and bleating of
the flocks—villages will rise, having churches whose tinned steeples —
reflect the rays of the morning sun; and as each succeeding Sabbath ~
appears, call forth, by the reverberating sounds of their bells amongst —
the valleys and hills, well dressed youths, the children of the presen
race, to worship the God of their fathers.” “di
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 341
“Some of you think this is but the view of a dreamer—know ye not
that the collective wisdom of our province have decided to make a ship
canal up the Ottawa to Georgian Bay, and that 4,000,000 acres of land
are set apart to aid in constructing a railroad from Quebec to said bay.
Think you that both conveyances will run side by side; will not the rail-
road seek another route, so as to have no competitor, and open up a
greater breadth of country? If so, no way offers so great facilities of
construction, nor a larger amount of traffic, than the valley of the
Madawaska. If this should take place, we will have cities where I only
anticipated villages, and towns instead of hamlets.”
The following letter written in 1861 and now among the archives
of the local Historical Society, throws some light upon the inner work-
ing of the office of the Land Agent:
“Dear Sir,—I was over the Addington Road with A. B. Perry and
we concluded that it would take on an average at least £62 Ios. per
mile to make a good summer road after we have finished up the first
16 miles. I wrote my brother to see you before he reported. I will
write Mr. Hatton soon concerning the matter in question.
“It appears to me that we are to have a great flow of emigrants
next spring on our road and means should be taken to have a stage run-
ning from Napanee to Tamworth at least and a mail through the settle-
ment. Richard Bishop is qualified for a Post-master, he is on No. 6 in
Barrie, which is nearly 30 miles from here. When you are at Toronto
ask how the gift land comes on over the 16 miles. It is time that we had
as many settlers on that desolate range as possible to make things look
less lonesome. And the Bureau of Agriculture should take steps immedi-
ately concerning the erection of mills at suitable places to aid settlers.
I will see you soon and then we can arrange the matter. I do not know
what to do about running for councillor again. I would by far rather
decline.
Your friend,
“Sig. E. Perry.”
“D. Roblin, Esq., M.P.P.”
To what extent the prophesies of Mr. Perry were realized may be
gathered from the excellent article contributed by Mr. Paul Stein to
the publications of the Historical Society. Mr..Stein was a pioneer in
the north country, induced to settle there by the circulation in his native
land of the government literature prepared from the reports of Mr.
_ Perry and other land agents. If more men of the type of Mr. Stein had
been attracted by the emigration pamphlets, the older townships, even
342 : HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
with the superior advantages they possess, would need to look to their
laurels. There is a clear and intelligent ring about the following essay
which discloses the character of the writer: '
“Up to about the year 1855 nearly all the lands in the rear of Add-
ington county from Cloyne northward were covered with primeval for-
ests, which had never been injured by fire, and only in some places had
the lumbermen commenced to cut and remove the best of pine timber
for export.
“The timber consisted, and what is left of it still consists of pine,
spruce, tamarac, balsam, basswood, maple, beech, birch, ash, elm, cedar,
etc.
“The character of the soil is variable, but consists chiefly of sandy
loam; in some places very light, or shallow and stony, and when cleared
only suitable for pasture. Some tracts of considerable extent are
entirely unfit for cultivation, being either too rocky and mountainous, or
consisting of swamps and marshes, part of which could be reclaimed by
underdraining. The country is exceptionally well watered with lakes, |
creeks, and springs, which contain pure and clear water, and the lakes |
are stocked with fish of various kinds. Deer and fur bearing animals |
were very plentiful when the first settlers arrived here, but of late game
of all kinds is getting rather scarce. H
“In or about the year 1856, the Addington Colonization road was t
constructed by the Government of Upper Canada, under the supervision |
of Mr. Ebenezer Perry, of Tamworth, with a view to open the northern
part of Addington county for settlement, and to encourage settlers to
locate there. Crown lands in the townships thus opened were offered
for sale at one dollar per acre, with the exception of those lots immedi-
» ately adjoining the Addington road, which were given as free grants to
actual settlers.
“The first settlers who located in the township of Abinger came
from Leeds county in 1856-7. Among them were Chas. M. Kenyon, A.
P. and Wm. Wickware, David and Elisha Mallory and their sons, Hugh
Grant, David Levingston, Wm. Levingston, etc.
“The first settlers who took up homesteads in the township of Den-
bigh arrived shortly after and were chiefly from the county of Prince
Edward. They were Isaac Cranshaw, Robert Conner, George W. Sweet-
nam, A. Cruickshank, David Switzer, John Burns, J. Reid, J. Peck, and
probably a few others.
“In order to attract German immigrants to Upper Canada the Gov-
ernment had issued some German literature, which was distributed by ©
sgn emsemes oe
adjoining the Frontenac, Addington and Hastings Colonization roads
were very favourably described and recommended for settlers with
limited means.
“One of those pamphlets fell into the hands of two neighbours in
the Prussian Province of Silesia, who were at once very favourably im-
pressed with the statement that they could get each one hundred acres
of good land, which, when cleared, would grow every kind of farm
produce that was raised in their own native province, for nothing, and
though they were not practical farmers, for one of them, Charles New-
man, was a distiller, and was foreman in a distillery, and the other,
August John, was a miller who had only a small grist-mill rented, they
decided to try their luck in Canada. Crossing the Atlantic in the 50’s
in the steerage of an immigrant sailing vessel, in which they had to
furnish their own provisions, bedding, etc., for a trip lasting from seven
to ten weeks, and in one case with small-pox, and no physician on
board ship thirteen weeks, was no trifle, but they landed safely in Que-
bec, reached Napanee, where they with the assistance of a countryman,
who acted as their interpreter, purchased the necessary supplies and
engaged a couple of teams which brought them to their destination in
Denbigh township in the summer of 1858. They took possession of
and located on adjoining lots on the Addington road, built, with the
help of a few neighbours, a log shanty large enough to hold both fam-
ilies and all their possessions, and went to work with a will to clear yet
a little land for a late crop of turnips and some other roots. They were
the first pioneers of what was for years afterwards known as the Ger-
man or ‘Dutch’ Settlement. But they were destined to meet with a
very serious misfortunate. Intending to acquire a cow, they all, men,
women, and children, left their shanty one morning in the early fall to
cut some hay in Beaver meadow, quite a distance from it. While thus
engaged, they happened to look towards their habitation and noticed a
heavy column of smoke rising in that direction. Hurrying home they
found their dwelling with all contents a mass of flames, out of which
they were not able to save a particle, and had nothing left but their
poorest clothes they had dressed themselves with in the morning. A
pitiful situation for any one, but how much more so for those two fam-
ilies with a couple of little children each, in a strange country, in a forest
away fron all civilization! After consulting what to do next, Mr. New-
man decided to remain, and to try his luck in trapping and hunting,
while Mr. John preferred to move with his family to Bridgewater,
__ where both he and his wife found employment. In the following spring
they returned to their homestead and built a small log cabin for them-
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 343 ©
°
3844 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
selves. In 1860 and 1861 several other German families joined them,
and they began to feel more at home. They laboured, however, under
many serious disadvantages. Their nearest post-office for instance was
at Perry’s Mills, and afterwards at Hardinge, in the township of Barrie,
a distance of over twenty miles. In 1863 Denbigh post-office was estab-
lished, with David Hughs as postmaster, and Gotthard Radel as the
first mail carrier, who had to carry H. M. mail on foot, there being as
yet no horses in the settlement. Another great disadvantage was the
want of a grist-mill, the nearest one then being at Bridgewater. Later
on another one was built at Rockingham, in Renfrew county, and an-
other one in Plevna, in the county of Frontenac; but either of them
was over twenty-five miles from the settlement, and as teams of any
kind were scarce, it was no uncommon occurrence that the happy pos-
sessor Of a horse or of a yoke of oxen would demand from his neigh-
bour who was not so fortunate, one bushel of wheat for taking another
bushel to the mill for him to get it ground.
“Another drawback for the settlers was the difficulty of obtaining
supplies. There were no stores in the vicinity, and no road as yet to
Renfrew, and nearly all the trading for a number of years was done in
Napanee. The first small store was started by Chas. M. Kenyon, near
the head of Massanoga Lake, but his stock was very limited at first.
“About the year 1859 Washington Mallory built a small saw-mill in
Abinger township, and a few years later Elisha Mallory purchased lot
No. 20, in the 8th con. of the township of Denbigh, on which another
mill site was situate, which Mr. Mallory improved, and on which he
erected another saw-mill, so that the settlers were able to obtain all the
lumber they required for their building operations.
“Several other settlers had squatted on adjoining lots of Govern-
ment land near Cedar Lake, and a small frame church had been built
for Protestant worshippers on an acre of land donated by E. Mallory. 4
The little settlement was first known as the Cedar Lake Settlement. “In i
1867 Messrs. Charles Stein and Paul Stein, then residing on a farm in +
the township of Richmond, bought from E. Mallory the land contain- ai
ing the saw-mill and mill site, and in the following year built a grist-mill
on it, which had only one run of Buhr stones and the necessary bolting 7 ;
and cleaning machinery, but was well patronized and appreciated by all 5
settlers in the vicinity. A few years afterwards the little saw-mill was
torn down and a larger one built by Paul Stein, with better machinery
and a greater capacity. Mr. John Mallory opened a little general store
near by, which soon after passed over to Mr. Samuel Lane, who was
appointed postmaster. Another store, a blacksmith shop, and a public-
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 345
house were built, and Cedar Lake Settlement gradually ceased to exist
and Denbigh village took its place.
“In 1882 the grist-mill was found to be inadequate to the require-
ments of the surrounding farming population, and P. Stein bought out
his father’s interest in it, tore it down, and replaced it by a larger one,
containing two run of stones and more improved machinery. In 1884
the German Lutheran congregation, though only consisting of about
twenty families, built a parsonage, and in 1886 a frame church. Since
1884 they have always had a resident minister, who has to belong to
the Lutheran Synod of Canada, which pays part of his salary, for beside
his Denbigh congregation, he has to attend to the spiritual needs of a
small congregation in Plevna, Frontenac county, and two larger con-
gregations in Raglan, Renfrew county, and Maynooth, Hastings county.
“In 1901 P. Stein sold the grist-mill to E. Petzold, who soon after
enlarged it by adding to it a first-class roller plant of thirty barrels
capacity per day, with all other necessary machinery, which. makes it
now one of the best equipped little roller mills in this part of the pro-
vince, with, however, one serious disadvantage: It is run by water-power
and in dry seasons the water sometimes fails, causing considerable loss
to its owner and inconvenience to the patrons.
“In 1902, J. S. Lane bought some land adjoining the village and
erected on it a steam saw-mill, which also contains shingle and lath
machinery, a planer and matcher, etc. A couple more general stores
and some other business establishments had been added, and the village
now contains one roller mill, one steam saw-mill, three general stores,
two public or boarding-houses, two churches, one public school, two
blacksmith shops, one wood-working shop, two agencies for agricultural
} implements, One ‘physician, one Crown Land agency, one post-office, one
; Orange hall and two public halls belonging to private owners. A new
cheese factory has also been built not far from the village, which will he
put in operation next spring.
“Vennachar is a little hamlet in Abinger township, seven miles
southeast of Denbigh village. It was almost entirely swept out of
existence by a bush fire in the spring of 1903, and some of the buildings
then destroyed have never been rebuilt. It comprises now one general
store with post-office, one public school, one Methodist church, and about
a mile from it a Free Methodist church. There are also two cheese fac-
tories at no great distance from it.
“No reference has, as yet, been made to municipal matters, which,
_ perhaps, deserve to be mentioned. The municipality of Denbigh,
_ Abinger, and Ashby was organized in 1866. The first municipal council
EM! V
345 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
was composed of James Lane, reeve; and E. C. Bebee, Isaac Cranshaw,
Chas. M. Kenyon, and Chas. Newman, councillors, who voted them-
selves for their services a salary of 25c. per session. David Hughs was
appointed township clerk at ten dollars per annum; John Lane, town-
ship treasurer, at the same salary; Robert Conner, assessor, at eight
dollars, and William Wickware, collector, at fifteen dollars salary. The
following year the members of the council raised their own remuner-
ation to one dollar per session, and the clerk’s salary to twenty dollars
per annum, at which rate it remained for many years.
“In 1866 two public school sections were established. No. 1 in the
German Settlement, and No. 2 at Vennachar. Now there are seven
schools in operation. The following gentlemen have served the municzi-
pality as reeves since its organization: James Lane for 1866, Chas. M.
Kenyon from 1867 to 1870, Samuel Lane from 1871 to 1880, William
Haines for 1881, James Lane from 1882 to 1884, George W. Sweetnam .
from 1885 to 1891, William Lane for 1892 and 1893, George W. Sweet-
nam for 1894, William Lane from 1895 to 1898, James Lane from 1899
to 1901, John S. Lane from 1902 to 1909. The township clerk’s office
has been filled by David Hughs: during 1866, by William Lane from
1867 to 1883, by Edwin Wensley during 1884 and 1885, and by Paul.
Stein from 1886 until now. The township treasury was held by John
Lane from 1866 until 1907, by Herman Glaeser during 1908, and by
Eathel C. Bebee up to the present.
“There are now five post-offices within the municipality: Denbigh,
Vennachar, Slate Falls, Glenfield, and Wensley, and the mail service is
satisfactory. Denbigh has a tri-weekly mail to Plevna, via Vennachar
and Wensley, and a bi-weekly one to Griffith and to Slate Falls. Several
efforts have been made to get the abandoned Denbigh-Cloyne mail route
established, in order to get direct connection and communication with
Kaladar Station and Napanee, but so far they have been unsuccessful.
“The market facilities for farm products, cattle, etc., are now not as
good as they were when lumbering operations were carried on more
extensively. Formerly the lumbermen needed all the hay and grain the
farmers could spare, and had to import large quantities. Now, how-
ever, nearly all the floatable timber has been cut and removed, or has
been destroyed by bush fires, and the farmers will have to pay more
attention to dairying or the raising of beef cattle.
“A very serious disadvantage is the absence of any nearer railway
or other shipping facilities. The municipality forms the centre of a dis- —
trict which has railways on all sides and around it, but no railway sta-
tion nearer than from 35 to 40 miles from Denbigh village. As the
j
ee ee ae Ee Oe oe ee oe ae
SHEFFIELD AND THE NORTHERN TOWNSHIPS 347
public roads leading to any of the railroad stations are also seldom in ”*
very good condition, the shipping problem of farmers’ products is a ser-
ious one. Other industries, however, are also retarded thereby.
“It is generally believed that valuable minerals in paying quantities
exist in the hills and valleys of the municipality, and gold, mica, and
graphite mines have been worked, but they were always closed again
because the transportation of the products to the nearest railway station
a made their operation unprofitable. Only a few weeks ago a discovery
| of ruby-corundum in the township of Ashby was sold to Mr. J.
i Jewel, of Toronto, for a very fair amount. Mr. Jewel has since pur-
chased one thousand acres, on part of which this discovery is situated}
from the Government, and has had one half of that area resurveyed and
laid out in smaller parcels. A gang of mechanics and other labourers are
now engaged building a boarding-house 30 x 60 feet, near the mine,
and a considerable amount of lumber and other building material is said
i to have already been ordered for further building operations in the com-
) ing spring. If this venture should prove a success it will encourage fur-
ther prospecting and lead to further discoveries.
“In conclusion it mignt be mentioned that there has not been any
liquor sold or a tavern or hotel license issued in the municipality for
upwards of twenty years, nor has there ever been an inhabitant of the
municipality imprisoned or otherwise punished for criminal offences.
The worst transgressions against the laws of the country have been
trifling civil cases of little importance.”
ie ast
* 2 ee ee eee
348 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
CHAPTER XXI >
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
The writer was tempted to single out for comment the names of
scores of individuals now living or who lived in years gone by in this
county, and did so intend, when this work was first considered; but upon ~
looking over the ground it soon became apparent that such an undertak-
ing would be entirely beyond the scope of the present volume. I have
therefore concluded to content myself by devoting this chapter to brief
biographical sketches of those men who have filled the important public
offices in the gift of the people of Lennox and Addington, limiting them
to the wardens of the county and the representatives from this county
to the various legislative bodies of the country. The latter fall under
four different heads: (1) members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper
Canada from 1792 to 1841 when the union of Upper and Lower Canada
took place; (2) members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of
Canada composed of the former two provinces of Upper Canada and
Lower Canada from 1841 to 1867; (3) members of the House of Com-
mons, which came into being under the British North America Act of
1867, which is our constitution of to-day; and (4) members of the Legis-
lative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, which body also owes its
existence to the same Act.
I am aware that, in thus restricting myself, many worthy names will
be omitted, names of men whose acts might well be placed upon reeord
in some permanent form; but as this purports to be a history of the
county rather than a treatise upon the lives of all its celebrated citizens
I feel justified in adopting this course; although I have frequently, in
the general narrative, departed from the text to give a brief review of
the life of some individual when I felt that the subject under discussion
warranted the digression. For the sake of convenience I have arranged
in alphabetical order the notices of such as fell within the classes above
named. /
Davip WricHt ALLISON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 188r1,
Member of the House of Commons 1883 and 1891.
D. W. Allison was familiarly known as the “old war-horse” of
Liberal party in Lennox and Addington. He was descended f
\
» . nD i=
ak oom
ee
.
: = 7 oS : e
EE EE EE ee ET
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 349
Joseph Allison, U. E. L., who at the time of the Revolution was engaged
in the navy yard at New York. His house was pilfered by the rebels
and, after securing everything of value that could be carried away, they
applied the torch to the rest and burned the dwelling and its contents.
He had the satisfaction of stealthily entering the rebel camp and under
cover of darkness, carried off five of the best horses they had. At the
battle of White Plains he had several narrow escapes, and on one occa-
sion his comrade was shot by his side, and the belt supporting his can-
teen was severed by a bullet. He was one of the first contingent to land
in Adolphustown and a few hundred feet from that landing place his
grandson, D. W. Allison, built the handsome brick residence where he
spent the last years of his life.
D. W. was a genial man, who always looked upon the bright side
of life and endeavoured to find some good qualities in every one he met.
Although primarily a farmer he sought to better his fortune by engag-
ing in many other lines of business, among which were shipping, min-
ing, and lumbering, and he was never staggered by the magnitude of any
speculative transaction. No man in his native township was more highly
respected, as he was kind and generous to the poor and a friend and
neighbour to all who knew him.
He passed through all the stages of municipal politics from coun-
cillor of Adolphustown to warden of the county. Few men would
have had the courage to engage in a political contest with Sir John A.
Macdonald; but Mr. Allison buckled on his armour, in 1882, and went
forth to battle against the greatest statesman of his day. Sir John was
elected; but some of his over-zealous workers had overstepped the
limits and he was unseated through acts of bribery committed by his
agents. In 1883 the same contestants again entered the field, and Mr.
Allison was victorious; but held his seat for only one session, as he was
called upon to pay the same penalty for the folly of his friends as his
redoubtable opponent had paid the year before. In the bye-election
which followed Mr. Allison was again defeated by Mr. M. W. Pruyn
of Napanee. In 1887 Mr. Uriah Wilson was returned to parliament for
the first time, defeating Mr. Allison by twenty votes; and the same can-
didates again entered the arena in 1891, when Mr. Allison secured a
majority of sixty-one votes over his opponent. This election was again
protested and the seat once more declared vacant; but not until the
member-elect had completed one session in parliament. Once again he
measured swords with Mr, Wilson, but failed to secure the requisite
number of votes. From the foregoing it will easily be seen that he’
350 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
earned the title which was applied to him by his friends. He died at his
_ home in Adolphustown in 1909.
Cyrus R. ALLIson,
Warden of Lennox and Addington 1899.
Cyrus R. Allison is a brother of the late D. W. Allison, of whom
a brief sketch has just been given. He spent nearly all his days upon
his farm in the township of South Fredericksburgh. A few years ago
he retired to the village of Adolphustown, where he lives a quiet life,
yet more active than most men of fourscore years. His views upon the
political issues which have stirred the souls of the electors of Lennox
have been as strong perhaps as those of his elder brother; but he chose
the privacy of his own home in which to ponder over them, and rarely
if ever entered the firing line during the many contests which divided
the riding into hostile camps. Although living in a municipality where
party lines are tightly drawn and a party vote would have excluded him
from office; he was repeatedly elected reeve; and was pressed to con-
tinue in office when he would have retired had he followed his own
inclination. His affable manner, good judgment, and unblemished char-
acter were fully recognized and appreciated by his neighbours, who
wisely declined to be swayed by party feeling when selecting a man to
conduct their municipal affairs.
Bowen FE. AyLEswortH,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1897.
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1898-1902.
The name of Aylesworth carries with it in the county of Lennox
and Addington a certain amount of prestige; no further certificate of
character is necessary, and Mr. Bowen E. de psi: is no exception to
the rule.
In 1788 Job Aylesworth, a well-to-do New England farmer, came
to Canada with his three sons and settled in the township of Ernesttown.
One of these sons, Bowen, when twenty years of age, married Hannah,
a maid of sweet sixteen, daughter of Robert Perry, U.-E. L. This
young couple settled on a farm north of Bath, and in the course of time
were blessed with no less than fifteen children, of which number nine
sons and four daughters lived to be grandparents. This will account for
the many branches of the family scattered over all parts of the county. ©
It will be observed in examining the history of this county, and pai
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 351
cularly the township of Ernesttown, that wherever there has been a
movement on foot for the betterment of the condition of the people the
records will disclose the presence of one or more Aylesworths behind
that movement. We find them in the pulpit and other professions, in
mercantile life, and on the farm, taking no mean position wherever
placed.
One of the fifteen children rocked in the sap-trough by the young
mother was the father of Bowen E. Aylesworth who now owns and
resides upon the farm where his grandfather Bowen lived eighty years
ago. He has passed through all the stages of advancement from coun-
cillor to member of the Legislative Assembly, back again to the farm;
and is such a firm believer in the simple life and the dignity of the call-
ing of the tiller of the soil that he doubtless derives more solid comfort
in watching the growth of the crops in his well-tilled fields than he did
in listening to the debates upon the budget. Mr. Aylesworth is a pro-
gressive farmer who has studied the art of making two blades of grass
grow where ordinarily there would be but one, and has been eminently
successful in putting into practice the useful lessons learned from a care-
ful study of the science of agriculture. The Government bulletins which
are issued regularly for the benefit of the farmer are not tossed by him
into the waste basket. In his public life he pursued the same course of
action by carefully weighing the probable result of every proposed meas-
ure. He does not profess to be a public speaker which, in these days of
long and tiresome speeches to the reporters of Hansard, is coming more
and more to be regarded as a virtue. He is a Liberal in politics.
_ Henry ALLEN BAKER,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1904.
Henry Allen Baker is descended from the U. E. L. Bakers who
originally settled in the first concession of Ernesttown. He has, with
the exception of a few years, resided all his life upon the farm formerly
owned by his father, John Baker, upon which he was born in the year
1842. He belongs to the superior type of yeomanry who are the back-
bone of our county, the thinking, intelligent, progressive type, who are
proud to be tillers of the soil. In 1883 Mr. Baker was first elected a
member of the Camden council, which position he was content to
occupy for three years, until he had familiarized himself with the work-
ing of that body, when he advanced a step, and for six years was first
deputy reeve; and then, fully qualified with his nine years’ experience,
he tendered his services as reeve, which the electors promptly accepted,
and returned him as head of the council for four years. For two years
352 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
he was commissioner from Camden division, and in 1904 he was chosen
warden of the county, in which position his experience in municipal
matters in his own township was a great aid to him in his general super-
intendence of the county’s business. For ten years he has been a director
of the Lennox and Addington Fire Insurance Company, which, by its
careful management under men like Mr. Baker provides a satisfactory
form of insurance for the farmers of the county at actual cost. Mrs
Baker has been for forty years an enthusiastic member of the Masonic
Order, was Master of his mother Lodge at Centreville for three years,
and upon his affiliating with Albion Lodge at Harrowsmith was twice
elected to the same position in that Lodge.
: Joun W. BELL,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1879.
Member of the House of Commons for Addington, 1882-91, 1896-1900.
Mr. Bell was a born leader of men. His fine physique, command-
ing appearance, and intelligent face were valuable assets which marked
him as a man capable of taking his position in almost any sphere of life.
He was born in 1836, received a good education at the Newburgh Aca-
demy, taught school for a. time at Strathcona, then known as Bower’s
Mills and was afterwards engaged in the school at Napanee. He was
sought out for municipal honours, passed rapidly from councillor to
warden of the county, and in 1882 was elected to the Dominion House
and sat as a member of that body for three parliaments. He was very
prominent in the Orange Order; and in 1889, when the famous Jesuit
Estates’ Act was before the House he proved his metal by refusing to
be led or driven, and was one of the famous thirteen who stood firmly
against the passing of the bill. Whether he was right or wrong in the
vote recorded matters little; but the fact that he was able to break away
from party affiliations and resist the influences that were brought to
bear upon him, marked him as a man of strong character, fearless, and
conscientious. He was a pleasant companion, a forceful speaker, and a
true patriot of whom the old county may justly be proud. He died in
IQOT.
WiLiiAM ALEXANDER BELL,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1878.
If William A. Bell had been spared to live out what we are pleased a
to term the allotted span of life, he would in all probability have becon
one of the best men our county ever produced. He was the only
WILLIAM H. WILKISON. DANIEL FOWLER.
ROBERT PHILLIPS. CAPTAIN THOMAS DORLAND.
| a . SA.
ot
; —
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 353
Major James Bell of Newburgh, and*was on the high road to fame
when he was stricken down, in 1882, at the early age of forty-two years.
He was content to follow the most honourable of all occupations, and
was never ashamed to earn his bread as a farmer by the sweat of his
brow. He passed creditable examinations at Newburgh Academy,
which, thanks to the men who have supported and managed that institu-
tion, has the enviable reputation of turning out more good and noble
men than any other school of its proportions in the province. He after-
wards served upon the board of education, in the municipal council and
as warden of the county. He was successful in whatever he undertook,
and entered into the work he set about to perform with a cheerful deter-
mination to do it well. |
BARNABAS BIDWELL, \
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 182r.
Fate and the Family Compact appear to have conspired to deprive
Lennox and Addington of its full measure of representation in the eighth
parliament of Upper Canada. Daniel Hagerman, at that time practis-
ing law in Bath, was returned at the general election in 1821, but he died
before the House assembled; and at the bye-election which followed
Barnabas Bidwell was declared member-elect for the county. Both
Hagerman and Bidwell were men far above the ordinary type; the
former being a brother of Christopher Hagerman, who afterwards
became Chief Justice, and the latter the first teacher in the Bath Aca-
demy, which had been established in 1811. He had formerly practised
law in the State of Massachusetts, and rose to such prominence in the
profession that he became Attorney-General of the State and was after-
wards returned to Congress, where he served at least one session. Later
on, he became treasurer of Berkshire county ; and some of his detractors
alleged that he had emigrated to Canada to escape the penalty due to
embezzlement while filling that position, but there is no reason to
believe that he was guilty of any greater crime than that of having lost
all his property in some unprofitable investments. -
There was no end to the slanders circulated concerning him during —
the campaign ; and, as they failed in their object of defeating him at the
polls, a determined effort was made to expel him from the House after
he had taken his seat. During the first week of the session the agents of
_ the Family Compact presented a petition to Parliament praying that the
seat be declared vacant upon the ground that the Occupant was an alien.
q In this they were more successful than in their appeal to the electors
854 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
who had returned him, and, though he had years before taken the oath
of allegiance, he was declared not to be a fit and proper petson to be a
member of the House, from which he was expelled on January 5th,
1822, twelve days before Parliament prorogued. Although his parlia-
mentary career extended over only a few weeks he made his influence
felt and was a thorn in the flesh of the government, which felt much
relieved at his expulsion. In 1824 was passed an Act respecting the
qualifications of candidates for election to the House of Assembly, and
although seven years residence in the province and the taking of the
oath of allegiance were declared to be sufficient qualifications in the case
of an alien, especial care was taken to for ever bar the eloquent and
formidable Bidwell from again taking any part in the deliberations of
Parliament, by adding a rider to the effect that no person who had held
office in any of the executive departments of State in the United States
would be capable of serving as a Member in the House.
MarsHALL SPRING BIDWELL,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1824-1836.
Politics in Lennox and Addington was at a white heat when a writ
was issued for the election of a member to represent the riding during
the last session of the eighth Parliament. The county was entitled to two
members, and two had been elected at the general election, Samuel Casey
and Daniel Hagerman. Casey held his seat throughout the full term,
but Hagerman died before the House met; and Barnabas Bidwell, who
was elected to fill the vacancy, was unseated before he had completed
his first session. His successor, Matthew Clark, met with a similar fate,
and Marshall Spring Bidwell, a brilliant young barrister of Kingston,
son of Barnabas, was placed in nomination by the Reformers.
The contest was one of the most bitter ever waged in the county.
This was the time of open voting, when the state of the poll was known
to every one from minute to minute. The election was held in John
Fralick’s tavern at Morven, which was the only polling-place in the
county; and to give every elector a fair opportunity to exercise his
franchise the poll was kept open for four days. In one room the whis-
key was flowing freely for all who saw fit to partake of it; and in those
days drinking was much more general than it is to-day. One can easily _
picture the exciting scenes attending an event where all the elements —
necessary to arouse the passions of the two contending factions were
present. It was the beginning of that prolonged struggle which culmin-_
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 855
did not encourage armed resistance, they had just cause to complain
against the tyranny of the Family Compact, whose oppressive course of
action bore heavily upon the long-suffering Loyalists of this district.
Bidwell was elected, and proved to be a prominent member,
although only twenty-five years of age when he first entered Parliament.
Shoulder to shoulder with Peter Perry, he fought valiantly for the
cause of the people against the ring of politicians who controlled the
government, and made themselves obnoxious by turning a deaf ear to
the rights of the majority and limiting their patronage and favours to
their own exclusive circle. He is credited with being the first member
of Parliament in Canada to introduce a measure abolishing the law of
primogeniture. He fought strenuously to secure the passing of such an
Act, and more than once it secured the endorsement of the Legislative
Assembly but, like many other important measures of his day, was
thrown out by the Upper House. Bidwell established a record by hold-
ing his seat for thirteen consecutive sessions, during four of which he
was Speaker of the House. He and Perry both suffered defeat in the
general election of 1836, just prior to the insurrection; but both should
be held in grateful remembrance by the people of Lennox and Adding-
ton as the staunch champions of the cause of responsible government.
In suppressing the insurrection of 1837 which followed their defeat
at the polls, several banners were captured; among them being one bear-
ing the inscription “Bidwell and the Glorious Minority.” This was an
old political banner which had done service in former election campaigns
and had, without the concurrence of Bidwell, been appropriated by the
insurgents. He had never counselled violence, and was guiltless of any
offence against the laws of the land; but the Governor, Sir Francis
Bond Head, seized upon the circumstance and warned Bidwell that mar-
tial law was about to be proclaimed, that he was likely to be arrested
and prosecuted for high treason, and that, as he would be unable to pro-
tect him, the only safe course for him to pursue was to flee from the
- country. The general attitude of the Governor towards Bidwell and
particularly his remonstrances to the Colonial Secretary when instructed
to place his name on the list of judges of the Court of Queen’s Bench
cost Sir Francis his position.
Bidwell left Canada and went to New York, where he was admit-
ted to the bar and in a short time attained the distinction of being one
of the most astute, scholarly, and refined members of the profession, a
reputation which he retained until his death, which occurred on October
24th, 1872. In such esteem was he held by his brethren that a meeting
of the New York Bar, presided over by Judge Daniel P. Ingraham, was
7) HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
convened a few days after his burial. Among other resolutions passed
at this meeting was the following:
“Resolved that the Bar of the City of New York is deeply sensible
of the loss it has sustained in the death of Marshall S. Bidwell. Sud-
denly called from the midst of us in the full possession of his matured
intellect and after a long career of distinguished usefulness in his pro-
fession he will be remembered by his brethren as an able and learned
lawyer, a courteous gentleman, and an earnest Christian.” In moving
this resolution the speaker, another leader of the Bar, said: “I have
known him through a long career and I presume I simply speak the
sentiments of every one here when I say that a more learned lawyer
never practised in our courts.”
Judge Neilson, formerly of Morven, spoke feelingly of the well
developed mind and fine Christian character of Mr. Bidwell, and Chief
Justice Church in granting the application to have the resolution recorded
in the minutes of the Court of Appeal said: “His great learning and
ability, not less than the purity of his private character, and kindness of
heart, endeared him to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance
during his life, and will embalm his memory in grateful remembrance,
now that he has departed from among us.”’ Such was the character of
the man our province lost through the action of Governor Head and his
coterie of friends in the Executive Council.
W. D. Brack,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1911, to the present
time.
Mr. Black was born in the township of Finch in the county of
Stormont in 1867. His father came to Canada from Scotland fifty-eight
years ago, and for the first ten years of his residence in the new world
taught school near Morrisburgh, and then engaged in farming. In 1875
he moved to the township of Hinchinbrooke, where he still resides at
the ripe old age of eighty-two years. The son, W. D., remained upon
the farm with his father until he reached his seventeenth year, when he
started out for himself as trackman on the C.P.R. He applied himself
so diligently to his work that at the end of three years he was made
foreman, a position which he held until his resignation seven years
later, when he settled in the village of Parham, built a store, and set up
in business as a general merchant. He continued in this business for
fourteen years, and to add a little variety to the work behind the counter
he acquired a saw-mill at Parham and another five miles west of that
village at Wagarville, and atin them both to advantage. ‘oe
*e
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 357
He crowded so much in these fourteen years, with apparently such
profitable returns, that in 1905, at an age when most men are settling
down in earnest for good hard work Mr. Black retired from mercantile
life for one of ease in the village where he had taken up his home.
Although he now leads what is generally recognized as a life of ease it
is by no means one of idleness. He has acquired considerable real
estate about the county, is interested in some lumbering concerns in New
Ontario, and has other business investments requiring his attention.
‘Politically Mr. Black’s experience has been a most remarkable one.
He has not encountered the usual difficulties that beset the candidate for
public office. He was a member of the township council for several
years, was two years commissioner. to the county council and is now
a member of the Legislature, a consistent follower of the Conservative
administration, yet his name has never appeared upon a ballot. Surely
his lines have fallen in pleasant places. He has been before the public
in other capacities which meant a good deal of work and little pay;
fifteen years secretary-treasurer of the Agricultural Society, two years
director of the Canadian Fair Association, five years secretary of the
Farmers’ Institute and fourteen years auditor of the School Board;
and the people of Addington rewarded him for his faithful service in
these several offices by electing him by acclamation every time his name
was put in nomination. While a good many would welcome the good
luck of Mr. Black there appear to be few, if any, who do not agree that
he merits all the prizes that are coming his way.
M. C. Bocart,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1906.
In the last year of that experimental period when the county coun-
cil was composed of ten commissioners elected in pairs, two from each
of the five divisions in which the county was then divided, Mr. Bogart
was one of the representatives for the division composed of the town-
ship of Richmond and the town of Napanee and was chosen warden in
1906. He had not taken a very active interest in municipal matters up
to that time, and on many occasions declined to accept the nominations
tendered him; but all the while he had been an intelligent observer of
what had been taking place. The system of electing commissioners to
the county council instead of having that body made up of reeves and
deputy-reeves from the various municipalities possessed one advantage,
as illustrated in the case of Mr. Bogart. Good men could be induced to
accept the position of commissioner to the county council who perhaps
858 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
would not feel justified in accepting the position of reeve or deputy-
reeve, which entails much more loss of time.
Mr. Bogart’s proudest boast is that he is a farmer, and so he is,
if owning and living upon an excellent farm is the only requisite for
admission to the ranks of that honoured calling. For many years he
has had an office in the town, where he has quite an extensive connec-
tion in the insurance and real estate business; and he may be found at
his desk between the hours of nine and four if business or pleasure does
not call him elsewhere, in which event an obliging assistant will respond
to any emergency calls. He is a firm believer in securing a reasonable
amount of comfort and pleasure in life while in a position to enjoy it,
and accordingly has travelled extensively over this continent and the
European as well, in company with his good wife. Mr. Bogart is a
good business man and goes about to enjoy life in a good business-like
manner; and if at any time he felt disposed again to enter public life
his short terms of service in the town and county councils are a suffi-
cient guarantee that he would look well after the interests of his constitu-
ents.
He is descended from Gilbert Bogart, a Loyalist of Dutch origin,
who was among the first refugees to sail from New York around through
the Gulf and up the St. Lawrence to winter at Sorel and land the fol-
lowing spring at Adolphustown. Other conditions being favourable, we
may safely predict for ex-warden Bogart a ripe and happy old age; as
' Gilbert, the head of the family, died at seventy-eight, and his wife at
ninety-five ; Gilbert’s son, Abraham, lived to be eighty-two, and his wife
Maria attained the remarkable age of one hundred and two.
' SERGEANT JosHUA Boor,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1792-6.
Addington and the islands along the lake front were united as one
electoral district at the time of Mr. Booth’s election in 1792. He had
served as a sergeant during the Revolutionary War, and was among the
first refugees to settle in Ernesttown. He followed the occupation of a
farmer and miller, and is credited with having built the first grist-mill
erected in the township of Ernesttown. He lived and died on lot num- _
ber forty in the first concession, and the mill was erected on the creek
not far from Millhaven. He became a large landowner and built several d
other mills; and it was from the mills built le his son, Reh 2 aty
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES - ae
parts of this county and have generally been engaged in the milling
business are all descendants of this, the first member for the district of
Addington and Ontario. He was a justice of the peace and a member >
of the court of requests for the Ernesttown Division. He died very
suddenly in 1813, at the age of fifty-four, leaving a widow and ten
children.
Purine D. Boorn,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1869.
It was quite natural that Phillip D. Booth should have politicai
aspirations, as both his grandfathers were elected in this county at the
first election held in Upper Canada. He was the eldest son of Ben-
jamin Booth, a volunteer in the rebellion of 1837, who was son of
Joshua Booth, the representative of Addington in the first Legislative
Assembly of Upper Canada. His mother was a daughter of Phillip
Dorland, the quaker member-elect from Adolphustown and Prince
Edward to the same Parliament, who from conscientious scruples
refused to take the oath and was accordingly denied his seat in the
House. Parker S. Timmerman, the first postmaster of Odessa, married
Phillip D. Booth’s sister, who transmitted to her children the same loyal
spirit that animated her father and grandfather; for, when the call to
arms was sounded in 1870, five of her sons shouldered their muskets and
marched to the front.
Phillip D. was born in Ernesttown, at Millhaven, but afterwards
moved to Odessa, where he engaged in ‘the lumber business on a large
scale. The greater portion of the lumber sawed in the township of
Ernesttown during the first half of the nineteenth century passed
through the mills of some member of the Booth family. He also oper-
ated a grist-mill. He was a member of the first council of the township,
in 1850, which was made up as follows: Robert Aylesworth, reeve,
Sidney Warner, deputy-reeve, Phillip D. Booth, John Asselstine, and
Ezra D. Priest, councillors. He was elected no less than fourteen times
at the municipal elections, and once allowed his name to be placed in
nomination at a general election for representative to the Legislative
Assembly. There were two other candidates in the field; and in the
three-cornered fight he suffered defeat. He died on October 18th,
1883.
JAMEs BrybdeEn,
_ Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1808.
Mr. Bryden was the first, and up to the present time, the only repre-
sentative from the northern townships to be raised to the dignity of
360 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
warden of the county. He was a sawyer and farmer and resided in the
vicinity of the village of Flinton. The experiment was not altogether a
successful one. ‘The warden is not only the presiding officer over the
body which chooses him, but is ex-officio a member of every committee
of the council, and as such should be in close touch with all the business
transacted during his term of office. He cannot serve the county unltss
he is within easy reach of the chairmen of the various committees. The
work of the council cannot be performed during the sessions which, at
their best, are simply meetings of the general body for outlining the work
to be done and sanctioning the performance of it when completed. The
actual work is done between the sessions; and a warden living fifty or
sixty miles from the county seat cannot, no matter what his qualifica-
tions may be, render as good service to the county as one within easy
call, without making greater sacrifices than the electors can expect or he,
as a rule, can afford to undergo.
Joun C. CARSCALLEN,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1894.
Tuos. G. CARSCALLEN,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1888,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1900, until the present
time.
“Luke Carscallen was an Irishman by birth, had served in the
British army and retired and emigrated to the American colonies prior.
to the rebellion. He desired to remain neutral and take no part in the
» contest. The rebels, however, said to him that inasmuch as he was
acquainted with military tactics he must come and assist them, or be
regarded as a King’s man. His reply was that he had fought for the
King and he would do it again, consequently an order was issued to
arrest him; but when they came to take him he had secreted himself.
His escape was a hurried one, and all his possessions, including a large
estate to the extent of 12,000 acres, were at the mercy of the rebels.
They, disappointed in not catching him, took his young and tender son,
and threatened to hang him if he would not reveal his father’s place of
concealment. ‘The brave little fellow replied, ‘hang away!’ and the
cruel men, under the name of liberty, carried out their threat; and three
times was he suspended until almost dead, yet he would not tell, and —
then, when taken down, one of the monsters actually kicked him.” |
{i
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 361
Thus wrote Dr. Canniff of the grandfather of Thomas G. and John
C. Carscallen, who settled on lot number twelve in the fourth conces-
sion of Fredericksburgh. This property has ever since remained in the
family, and is occupied to-day by Mr. Fred B. Carscallen. The farm
descended from Luke, the pioneer, to his third son Isaac, the father of
Thomas and John, both of whom were born and brought up on the old
homestead. John followed in the footsteps of his father and engaged in
farming until 1888, when he and his brother embarked in business in
Napanee as undertakers and house decorators; but John did not move
to town until 1901. In a township where political feeling runs pretty
high and the parties were evenly balanced John C. was elected twenty-
six times. For eighteen years he sat at the head of the council board,
and to him, the late Irvine Parks, and W. N. Doller, the township of
North Fredericksburgh owes a debt of gratitude for the able manage-
ment of the affairs of the municipality during their administration.
Life upon the farm did not appeal to the younger brother, Thomas
G., who at seventeen years of age set out to learn the trade of painter
and paper-hanger; and the tasteful decorations of scores of houses in
Napanee, Belleville, and Deseronto bear testimony to the fact that he
became master of his trade, which he followed until he entered into
partnership with his brother. Thomas G. Carscallen’s municipal honours
were won in Napanee, where he has resided ever since his marriage in
1873. For seventeen years he sat in the council, and four out of the
seventeen he presided over that august body. His popularity is attested
by the fact that he was returned seven times by acclamation, four
times as reeve, twice as mayor, and once as councillor. Receiving his
nomination from the Conservative party he has represented Lennox in
the Local Legislature since 1902, thus completing the unique record of
having passed through twenty-one elections without sustaining a single
defeat. In the Legislature he has been very attentive to the interests
of his native riding, and is always ready to render any assistance to his
constituents irrespective of their politics. '
Both brothers were honoured by being chosen to occupy the high-
est municipal office in the gift of the people of Lennox and Addington,
and the experience of their long years of service in their respective local
councils served them in good stead when called upon to preside over
the county council. If the old pioneer, whose ashes rest in the old
cemetery in Fredericksburgh at the first bend in the river below the
town, could rise from his grave to-day, he would heartily approve the
records of these two grandchildren.
362 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Joun Carson,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1895.
John Carson was born in Inniskillen, Ireland, in 1840; and to escape
the terrors of the famine of 1847 his father sailed from Belfast with his
wife and three children and came to Kingston. He shortly after settled
in the front of Ernesttown where John, the only son, remained with the
family until he had grown to be a strong lad, when he was apprenticed
to a Mr. Kaylor who operated a tannery on the York Road. While so
engaged he was brought frequently in contact with the late John Coates,
a harness maker in Napanee, who used to get his supplies of leather
from Kaylor. A friendship sprang up between the two which was
strengthened by the marriage of Carson’s sister to Coates; and it was
not long before the young Irishman occupied a bench in the workshop
of his brother-in-law. He mastered the trade in all its branches and set
up for himself on the north side of Dundas street in 1878. In the year
1883, when Culhane’s Hotel was burned, Thos. Symington, Fred. Chin-
- neck and John Carson purchased the site and built the substantial brick
block just east of the Royal Hotel, and here Mr. Carson moved his busi-
ness from across the street and continued to serve his customers until
his death in 1903.
He was a man of few words and never gave expression to an opinion
. until he had viewed the matter from every stand-point, with the result
that he never found himself entangled in any hasty conclusions. For
sixteen years he sat around the council board of Napanee and his well-
known habit of careful and impartial consideration of all municipal
affairs won for him the sobriquet of ‘““Honest John.” He served the town
_as councillor, reeve, and mayor; and, while the blood of his ancestors
which flowed in his veins might rise to fever heat during an election
campaign, all was forgotten when the ballots were counted; and Honest
John settled down to business and could always be found supporting
every measure calculated to advance the interests of the corporation.
As warden of Lennox and Addington he pursued the same careful
course; and when he laid down the gavel he was heartily congratulated
upon his satisfactory work as the presiding officer of the council.
JouHN Soromon CARTWRIGHT, |
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1836-1841,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Canada, 1841-1845. d
It might be said in Napanee of John Solomon “Pauls Ca $4 7
inscribed on the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren in St. Eeutes Cath
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 363
“If you would see his monument, look around,” for every church, school
and public building in the town erected during his lifetime or for many
years after his death stands upon ground donated by him or his estate.
He was the twin brother of Robert Cartwright, son of the Honourable
Richard Cartwright, and was born at Kingston, September 17th, 1805.
He was educated at Kingston Grammar School, admitted to the bar in
1827, and entered on the practice of his profession in his native town.
His father owned the land upon which the greater part of the town is
built; and the Cartwright family have always taken the deepest interest
in everything affecting the public welfare of Napanee and-have contri-
buted liberally to every worthy object brought to their attention by the
citizens or any organization in the town.
In 1842 he was tendered the office of Solicitor-General, rendered
vacant by the resignation of Mr. Baldwin. In a letter to the Governor
declining the honour he wrote as follows: “On the question of responsi-
ble government I have already explained to your Excellency my views of
its dangerous tendency: and the more I reflect upon it the more I feel
convinced of its incompatibility with our position as a colony—parti-
cularly in a country where almost universal suffrage prevails; where the
great mass of the people are uneducated; and where there is little of
that salutary influence which hereditary rank and great wealth exercise
in Great Britain. | view responsible government as a system based upon
principles so dangerous that the most virtuous and sensible act of a
man’s public life may deprive him and his family of their bread, by plac-
ing him in a minority in an Assembly where faction and not reason is
likely to prevail.”
The first survey of the town was made under his direction, in 1831,.
by John Benson. He followed closely in the footsteps of his father and
was the largest real estate owner in the county, judge of the district
court of the Midland District, and member of the Legislative Assembly
of Upper Canada. He first entered Parliament in the ante-rebellion
period of 1836, and was selected as candidate by the ultra-Conservatives
to contest the riding with George H. Detlor against the invincible
Reformers, Bidwell and Perry. The prestige of the family name and
the position he held at the time upon the bench were stronger factors
in securing his return than the popularity of the cause he represented.
He was thoroughly conscientious in his views upon responsible govern-
ment, and never hesitated to give expression to them in language that
could not be misinterpreted. Being a prominent member of the militia
he was raised to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and was very instru-
mental in organizing the volunteers for the defence of the province.
364 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
One of his first acts in Parliament was to secure a grant for the con-
struction of the macadamized road from Kingston to Napanee. His
views upon the political situation after the Union of 1841 are clearly
set forth in a letter written April 3rd, 1841, from which the following
extracts are taken:
“TI have been looking over the list of Members of the United House.
I find few that I know and still fewer of congenial mind and feeling. I
almost wish I was not a member. As far as I am capable of forming an
' opinion I should divide them as follows: 40 determined supporters of the
Goy.-Gen., 30 Republicans at whose head I place the Solr.-Gen., 8 Con-
servatives and 5 doubtful, in all 84. If the Conservatives will act to-
gether they can form a band that may turn many a question in favour
of right and justice, but it can only be done by a manly and upright
course, by demonstrating on all occasions that they have the good of the
province, British supremacy, and monarchial principles in view in all
they do. They must be governed by great moderation and sound dis-
cretion, otherwise they will be without influence.
“The Union must now be supported and made to selbite if possible;
but I look forward to a stormy session and the political horizon offers no —
cheering prospect. I may in truth say I dread the trial. My mind is
made up to expect attacks on every good man and principle and I con-
ceive it will be unprofitable for Ld. S. to remain neutral. He must
come out one way or other before the Legislature has been many weeks
in session.”
In February, 1844, he went to England to obtain, if possible, for the
people of Kingston some compensation from the: Imperial Government
for the injuries supposed to have been sustained by the removal of the
seat of government to Montreal. In this he was unsuccessful. He died
on January 15th, 1845, and was buried in St. Paul’s Churchyard, Kings-
ton. An address signed by some sixty members of the House, among
them being Sir John A. Macdonald, John Sandfield Macdonald, Robert
Baldwin, Papineau, La Fontaine, and others was forwarded to his widow
two weeks after his death. It in part read as follows:
“We, the undersigned, Members of the Provincial Parliament, beg
leave to express our most heartfelt and sincere condolence with you 4
upon the irreparable bereavement with which it has pleased the Almighty !
Disposer of events in His inscrutable wisdom to visit upon you and your
infant family.
“When we say that we knew your late husband it is unnecessary to
add that we loved and esteemed him. We esteemed him in his public
capacity for his great talents, his extended patriotism, and his unbending _
} a
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 365
integrity. We honoured and loved him as an individual for the good-
ness, the kindness, and the charity with which he fulfilled all the obliga-
tions of a friend, a neighbour, and a subject.
“We further lament that the last member of a family, distinguished
for its eminent virtues and love of country, has passed hence and in this
world we shall see his face no more.”
The memorial windows in the chancel of St. Mary Magdalene
Church and the beautiful baptismal font were erected to his memory by
members of his family.
Ture HonouraABLeE Sir RicHarp Cartwricut, G.C.M.G.,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, 1861-67.
Member of the House of Commons, 1873-8.
No county in Canada has been more honoured in the matter of
illustrious representatives in parliament than Lennox and Addington,
for among the number who have at different times appealed to the elec-
tors and sat in the House as their representative were the Right Honour-
able Sir John A. Macdonald and the Honourable Sir Richard Cart-
wright.
Sir Richard’s history is too well known to require any comments
upon his life in these pages. The following tribute to his memory
appeared in the Toronto World, a leading Conservative paper:
“It can be said of Sir Richard Cartwright that he was the greatest
parliamentarian, as such, that ever sat in the Canadian Commons, and
he was a member of it for the most of the time since Confederation. He
had parliamentary style, he was deeply read in parliamentary lore, and
his mind was stored with information: so that he went into parliamentary
action with the armour and fighting skill of Achilles and the craft of
Odysseus. And he could sort out in a flash those of his fellows who had
parliamentary class or the promise of it.
“In the private associations of the House he had the politest of
manners and in debate the most virile invective. His words were winged
and they were barbed; so that on the whole he had a longer and more
unbroken record as a debater than any other member of the Canadian
House.”
During the last few years of his life he was severely crippled with
rheumatism; but his debating power suffered nothing from his physical
infirmity. His death, following an operation from which he was
believed to be recovering, occurred on October 23rd, 1912, a few days
before his Reminiscences, a valuable contribution to the political history
of Canada, issued from the press.
366 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
WILLet CAsEy,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1811-12, and
1817-20.
When John Roblin’s seat was declared vacant in 1810 because he
was a local preacher of the Methodist Church, a reason that would not
commend itself to many thinking minds in our day and generation,
Willet Casey of Adolphustown was elected for the balance of the term
of the fifth Parliament, and was again elected in 1817, and sat as mem- -
ber of the seventh Parliament until 1820. He was a Reformer, and his
mate from this county was Isaac Fraser, a Tory, so the honours were
fairly divided in Lennox and Addington. Fraser’s election was not due
to his political views but to his being universally esteemed as an upright
and conscientious man. The terms “Tory” and “Reformer,” as used
one hundred years ago, should not be confused with the same terms as
sometimes applied to the two great political parties of to-day, as the
politics of Canada have undergone so many radical changes during the
last century that there is no connection between the political parties of
that day and this.
Willet Casey and his brother William were among the first U. E. L.
settlers in Adolphustown and bore their full share of the burden of
transforming it from a wilderness to the most advanced township in the
province in the first quarter of the nineteenth century.
Willet Casey was born in Rhode Island and, his father having been
killed during the war, he, after its close, settled near Lake Champlain
thinking it was British territory, but upon discovering his mistake
removed to Adolphustown, where he found shelter in a blacksmith shop
until he built for himself a log house.
SAMUEL CASEY,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1821-24.
Samuel Casey was a son of Willet who was twice elected as mem-
ber for this county on the Reform ticket: but his son did not follow in _
his footsteps, but joined the Tory party, and contested the riding at a
time when the war against the Family Compact was growing very bitter. —
There was not much fellow-feeling between the two representatives
from Lennox and Addington, as the Government had set its heart upon
redeeming the county; and four elections were held before a t
was vasbeing who could hold his seat pare the — t
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 367
the next two were unseated, and Marshall Spring Bidwell represented
the county for the balance of the term; and so mutual was the feeling
towards each other that he and the Tory member, Casey, would not ride
together in the same coach. History does not enlighten us as to the
cause of Samuel’s defection from the ranks of the Reformers. His
own father and his uncle William both voted against Bidwell and Perry;
but the electors of the county were deeply incensed by this time, and the
latter two were returned and successfully carried all the elections which
followd in quick succession until the famous ante-rebellion contest of
1836, when the Tory candidates, John Solomon Cartwright and George
Hill Detlor were victorious.
MATTHEW CLARK,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1823,
After the expulsion of Barnabas Bidwell from the House, in 1822,
it can readily be conceived that the free and independent electors of
Lennox and Addington were not in very good humour over the action
of the government in defeating their will by unseating the candidate
whom they had chosen to represent them in parliament. Matthew Clark,
a farmer residing in the front of Ernesttown east of Millhaven, was
next chosen as the standard-bearer of the Reform party. He was a U.
E. Loyalist himself, and son of Robert Clark who built the first grist-
mill in Napanee. He was duly elected; but the same forces that deprived
Bidwell of his seat took action against Clark, he in turn was unseated
upon a technicality, and another appeal to the electors was necessary.
During his short career in the House he was too busy defending himsel#
to acquire a reputation as a parliamentarian.
Grorce W. W. Dawson,
Member of the House of Commons for Addington, 1891-6.
Mr. Dawson has all the good, and none of the bad, characteristics
of an Irishman. He is genial, quick in retort, eloquent, and shrewd. He
was born in Sligo, Confiaught, on St. Valentine’s Day in 1858 and arrived
in Canada with his father in 1864. He was educated at Kingston and
Belleville and settled down to business as a general merchant and lum-
berman at Plevna in 1875, and two years later was appointed postmaster,
a position which he retained until 1891. He was elected reeve of Clar-
endon and Miller in 1880-1-2. In 1891 he was returned to the House of
Commons for the electoral district of Addington, and was looked upon
368 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
as one of the brightest young men in the Liberal party. He was a vor-
acious reader, was well posted upon the public questions of the day, and
had few equals as a debater. In’ 1901 -he was appointed Inspector of
Penitentiaries of Canada, and has given the question of prisons and
prisoners a great deal of careful study; and many of the improvements
adopted,in our penal institutions are based upon suggestions made by
him. In 1910 he was the official delegate of the Government of Can-
ada to the International Prison Congress held at Washington, and took
a prominent part in the proceedings.
Rosert DENISON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1874.
Robert Denison was born in the third concession of the township of
Richmond in 1820, and spent his boyhood days at the forest home of his
father, which afforded few advantages in the way of education. He
grew up with the township, and witnessed it pass through the various
stages of development from a wilderness, void of roads, to the advanced
and prosperous municipality it is to-day. He not only witnessed the
improvements going on but actively participated in them. He was
manager of the Richmond Road Company almost from the time it was
built, until it was taken over by the county. He was returned time and
again to the township council, and in 1874 was chosen warden of the y
county, and devoted himself particularly to the improvement of the |
county roads, in the construction and maintenance of which his experi-
ence in maintaining the Company Road through his township enabled re
him to introduce some much needed reforms. In 1875 he moved to a
_ Napanee and opened a wood yard, by means of which he found a ready ~
and profitable market for the product of a tract of timber land held by
him in Richmond. He afterwards opened a grocery on Centre Street
which was largely patronized not only by the townspeople in the north-
ern part of the town, but by his large circle of friends and acquaintances
from his native township who passed his door in coming to town. He
was a man of few words, who lived the simple life, and in all his deal- E
ings endeavoured to be governed by the Golden Rule. He died on Sep-
tember 22nd, 1906.
GrorcE DENISON,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Oneied 1884-8. on
Mr. Denison was the first non-resident ever elected to the 1
cial House as representative for the riding of — w
SIR GILBERT PARKER, K.C.M.G. HON. SIR ALLEN AYLESWORTH, K.C.M.G.
CHARLES CANNIFF JAMES, C.M.G. MATTHEW JOSEPH BUTLER, C.M.G.
TITLED SONS OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON.
‘uljsng, asdsoary ‘“uOSsTiAy AdPLOPY "GQ. ‘4epURXITY “WV 1 AsV *JYSLI OF YJOJ—MOs JUOLY
‘safog Joysay *[ “pleuopoeyy sopuexapy ‘Ady ‘uO SULOPT “GS JayeAA “YUUIC DS wWeITAQ ‘ASNOUTPEG “V “AA “P2uULYD pesrq "34.311 03 YJo"J—Mo4 aTppryy
‘uosuIqgoy ‘MA UYoOf ‘uozdway weIA, ‘paeuoay *y puowmtey iq ‘wey ‘guyof “Areq ‘yy wena “TRH Jy} "AA “UOVuIWIAG seWOYT 44.311 0} YJaT—AMO1 YOR
*Z06L—" N10 ONITHND SSANVdVN ‘“WV3SL AHdOYL GNV SYHS0IS40
‘ o
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 369
explained by the fact that at the time he was returned county boundaries
~ were not observed in laying out the ridings, and Portland was in the rid-
ing of Addington. He was born in the west of Ireland; but lived only ©
six months in his native land, when his parents emigrated to Canada,
settled near Collins Bay where they remained eight years, and then
moved to the township of Portland where the boy George grew up and
spent all his days. He was educated at the public school and early in
life manifested a deep interest in everything affecting the welfare of the
community and particularly the farming industry. He was a prosperous
farmer himself and lost no opportunity to promote any measure cal-
culated to improve the condition of the agriculturalists of Ontario. He
was held in high esteem by all classes in Portland and served many
years as deputy-reeve and reeve of that township. He died a bachelor
in 1902 in his eighty-fourth year, and was buried at Sydenham.
HAMMELL Mappen Derocnue, K.C.,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1871-83
Mr. Deroche was born ‘at Newburgh in 1840, and received his early
education in the schools of that village. He graduated from Toronto
University with first class honours in 1868. While a student he enlisted
in the Queen’s Own Rifles and saw active service in the defence of his
country at the battle of Ridgeway. He began the study of law with
Mr. D. H. Preston now the oldest practitioner in Napanee, completed
his course with Mr. James Bethune of Toronto, and was called to the
bar in 1874, since which time hehas practised his profession in Napanee,
being associated for many years with His Honour Judge Madden in the
well-known firm of Deroche & Madden. He taught school for four
years in the Newburgh High School and for two years in the Napanee
Academy. Mr. Deroche represented his native county in the Local
Legislature for three successive terms, being elected for Addington by
the Liberal party in 1871, 1875, and 1879. He was appointed county
crown attorney in 1899, and has fairly and fearlessly discharged the
duties of that office to the present time. As a student Mr. Deroche
developed into an eloquent and forceful speaker and maintained his
reputation as such throughout his parliamentary and professional career.
His popularity is due to his genial disposition and scholarly attainments.
He possesses the faculty of intelligently discussing any subject that may
be introduced, and enlivens his discourse with happy illustrations from
an inexhaustible supply of entertaining narratives drawn from his own
experiences and from a wide range of reading. |
370 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Grorce Hitt DetLor,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1841-6
Concerning his ancestors George H. Detlor said: “My grandfather,
John V. Detlor, emigrated with my grandmother from Ireland to New
York. Directly after his marriage in the City of New York they
removed to the town of Camden, where they resided with their family,
and at the close of the rebellion (having joined the Royal Standard)
he, with two or three of his sons and sons-in-law, came to Canada, and
finally settled on lands in the township of Fredericksburgh, lot number
twenty-one in the sixth concession, where he and his sons lived and died.
My father moved to the Town of York (now City of Toronto) in 1802;
and at the invasion of that place by the Americans, in April, 1813, my
father lost his life in defence of the place. ‘1 here is now but one of my
grandfather’s children living; an aunt of mine, Mrs. Anne Dulmage,
resides in the village of Sydenham, township of Loughboro, county of
Frontenac.” ‘These words were uttered over forty years ago. In 1836,
at the last general election before the union of Upper and Lower Can-
ada, George H. Detlor and John S. Cartwright were returned in Len-
nox and Addington, and held their seats during the troublesome period
that followed. Mr. Detlor, at the time, was a merchant in Napanee.
After retiring from politics he was for a time clerk of the united counties
of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, and later on was appointed Col-
lector of Customs for the port of Kingston.
~Wriii1AmM Nerson DOoLLEr,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1877
W. N. Doller, born in 1823 in the township of Ernesttown, was
the son of Charles Doller who fought against the British in the Pen-
insular war and, being taken prisoner, had such respect for his captors
that he joined the army of Great Britain and came to America just in
time to take part in the battles of Queenston Heights and Lundy’s Lane,
and to be present at the capture of Oswego.
His son William was, however, a man of peace and never engiden a
in any more serious conflicts than the municipal elections of North
Fredericksburgh. For thirteen consecutive years he was elected reeve,
and his administration of the affairs of the township was marked by that
good judgment and probity which characterized all his business dealin
He was of a retiring disposition, and declined the nomination pe th
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 371
‘
House of Commons, He and the late Judge Wilkison were largely
responsible for as, * and laying out the beautiful driving park which
is one of the attractions of Napanee and should, before it is too late, be
purchased by the corporation as a pleasure resort for all time to come.
He had received no education but such as the common schools of his day
afforded; yet he took the keenest interest in securing for others
advantages which had been denied him. For many years he was a mem-
ber of the board of Albert College, and for two years as president of
the public library he devoted himself to the task of rendering it more
serviceable to the public. He was a faithful and consistent member of
the Methodist Church, and was an ardent supporter of the union of the
various bodies which culminated in: the formation of the Canada
Methodist Church. He lost no opportunity to advance ‘the interests of
the farmer and devoted much of his time to the various details of the
agricultural societies of the county. As warden of the county, in 1877,
he proved himself to be thoroughly conversant with the duties of his
office; and not content with acting as presiding officer he initiated and
assumed the burden of working out for himself the details of most of
the business coming before the council. He died in October, 1911, at
the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
Puiiiie DorLAND,
Elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1792
Adolphustown, which justly prided itself in being the most advanced
township in the province in the old pioneer days, was for a time unre-
presented in the first Parliament. Phillip Dorland was duly returned,
at the first election held in the province, as member-elect for Adolphus-
town and Prince Edward county. The Legislature met at Niagara on
September 17th, 1792; and Dorland was among the number who had
travelled for days through the forest following the old Indian trails,
for there were no roads worthy of the name. Each member, before tak-
ing his seat, was required to subscribe to an oath, and there was no
escape from it. The member-elect from Adolphustown was a Quaker
long before he ever sought parliamentary honours, and nothing stood
between him and the vacant seat but the oath. It was a simple oath of
allegiance accompanied with a declaration that the affiant would faith-
fully discharge his duties as a member of the august body which was to
govern the destinies of Upper Canada for the next four years. Brother
Phillip had no objections to the purpose of the oath, for he had demon-
strated his allegiance by joining the Loyalists and coming to Canada in
372 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
1784; and he had travelled all the way from Adolphustown with no
other object in view than that of faithfully serving his King and coun-
try ;. but he had instilled in him the Quaker doctrine “Swear not at all,”
and swear he would not.
There was no provision at that time for receiving a declaration from
those who had conscientious scruples against taking an oath; so the seat
was declared vacant, and Dorland mounted his pony and returned to
his home. He was the first choice of his native township, and although
he cannot be said to have represented them in Parliament, yet the honour
conferred upon ain entitles him to be enrolled among the first repre-
sentatives.
Cyrus Epcar,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1909
Mr. Edgar is justly proud of his ancestors, who were Loyalists on
both sides of the house. His grandfather, William Edgar, was a native
of Richmond, Virginia, who, rather than deny his allegiance to his King,
after the Revolutionary War forsook everything, came to Canada, and
settled in Fredericksburgh. His great-grandmother was a daughter of
Michael McCabe, another Fredericksburgh pioneer, who was allotted the
farm on Hay Bay which is still in the possession of his descendants.
Cyrus Edgar was born in the township of his forefathers in 1861,
and in 1880 moved to the township of Camden and learned the carpen-
ter’s trade, which he has followed ever since. He probably superin-
tended the erection of more buildings in this county than any other single
individual, among them being some of the finest residences, churches,
schools, and farm buildings. He has led a busy life, and appears to
thrive upon hard work; for with his thirty years wrestling with heavy
timbers and plying the hammer and saw he is but yet in the prime of
manhood. He has, however, found some time to devote to public mat-
ters and has demonstrated that he can work with his head as well as_his
hands. For six years he was a member of the public school board in
section number three of Camden, and was first elected a member of the
council in 1903. After four years’ experience at the council board he
was returned as reeve, which position he held for three consecutive
years, reaching the warden’s chair in 1909, where he displayed that same
capacity for faithful work that he did before the bench. He is at pre-
sent employed at the Ontario Prison farm at Guelph; and the good —
his supervision will not be neglected. ste Be:
ad |
al
%
Ps
people of this province may rest assured that the carpenter work under — a
—
ees)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 373
WiiwraM Farrriexp,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1799-1800
William Fairfield was one of the fifteen children of William Fair-
field, Senior, who settled on lot thirty-seven in the first concession of
the township of Ernesttown. He was returned to the Legislature at a
bye-election in 1798 as representative for Addington and Ontario coun-
ties, and sat during the two remaining sessions, after which Addington
was united with Lennox as an electoral district. The Kingston Gazette
contained the following obituary notice at the time of his death:
“Died At his home in Ernesttown, on February 7th, 1816,
in the 47th year of his age, W. Fairfield. The funeral was attended by
a numerous circle of relatives, friends, and neighbours. He left a widow
and seven children. The first link that was broken in a family chain of
twelve brothers and three sisters, all married at years of maturity, his
death was a loss to the District as well as to his family. He was one of
the commissioners for expending the public money on the roads. Form-
erly a member of the Provincial Parliament, many years in the Com-
mission of the Peace. As a magistrate and a man he was characterized
by intelligence, impartiality, independence of mind, and liberality of
sentiments.”
The old Fairfield residence, built in 1796, is still standing on the
bay shore at Bath.
BENJAMIN FAIRFIELD,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1817-20
Benjamin Fairfield, a younger brother of William, was elected to
the Legislature in 1816 as one of the representatives of Lennox and
Addington. He owned a farm at Bath, and. was one of the prominent
men of that thriving village in the early part of the last century. Among
his other enterprises he was extensively engaged in the shipping indus-
try, and during the war of 1812 one of his vessels was destroyed by an
American gun-boat. He was a regular member of the Court of Quarter
Sessions of the Peace and as such wielded a good deal of influence. W.
J. Fairfield, for many years a prominent merchant of Bath, and Judge
Fairfield of Picton were sons of Benjamin.
-Rosert Firson,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1889
Robert Filson was a typical, whole-souled Irishman, born in County
own in 1844. He came to Canada in 1858 and made his home on
374 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Amherst Island, where he lived the rest of his days. As a young man
he spent many years sailing upon the great lakes, and in 1870 married, -
and settled down to the more prosaic life of a farmer, on the south
shore. When twenty-one years of age he enlisted in number Four Com-
pany of the 48th Battalion, and during the rest of his life was connected
with the militia, being at the time of his death quarter-master of the
47th with the rank of captain. His son, Edward, enlisted in the Royal
Canadian Dragoons during the South African war, and so distinguished
himself that he rose to the rank of corporal, but was shortly afterwards
killed in action at Lilliefontein.
Mr. Filson did nothing by halves; but threw all his energy into any
matter he had in hand, and made his influence felt. He first entered the
island council in 1878 and was elected reeve five times prior to his
elevation to the wardenship; and in the wider sphere of the county
council he was outspoken in his views, and unsparingly criticised any
measures that did not commend themselves to his judgment. He took
a leading part in securing for the island telegraphic communication with
the mainland, and was one of the chief promoters in organizing the
Amherst Island Mutual Insurance Company. As warden of the county
he gave his support to the establishing of the School of Mining in con-
nection with Queen’s University. At the time of his death, in 1895, he
was a member of the county council, which attended his funeral in a
body to pay their last tribute of respect to his memory.
REGINALD A. FOWLER,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1903
: Mr. Fowler is a son of Daniel Fowler, the artist, was born at “The
Cedars” on Amherst Island in July, 1845, and educated at the public
schools of the island and at the private academy of the Rev. John May-
of Kingston. Though the most retiring of men one would meet in a
day’s travel Mr. Fowler was ready for action when the -peace of his
native land was threatened. He was a volunteer in the 48th Battalion,
which was organized at the time of the Fenian scare in 1866, and was
speedily promoted from the ranks to a lieutenancy. In 1870 he was
sergeant in Company No. 5 of the Ontario Rifles, joined the Red River
Expedition under General Wolseley, and to-day wears a medal for his
participation in the quelling of that outbreak. E
He has always taken a deep interest in whatever tends to promote —
the welfare of the community; and the islanders have not been slow to
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 375
appointing him to serve in different capacities,—in the Township Council,
on the Board of Health, and as a director of the Agricultural Society. He
first entered the island council in 1875, and served in the county council
in 1895-6, and again in I1901-2-3-4. In 1903 he was chosen warden, and
as such commanded the respect of all the members and looked carefully
after the interests of the county as a whole. While Mr. Fowler is a
strong party man he is liberal in his views, and is prepared to concede
to his neighbour who differs from him in politics the same honest
motives that prompt him in forming his opinion 2 the public ques-
tions of the day.
IsAAC FRASER,
Member of Parliament of Upper Canada, 1817-1820
Isaac Fraser was a hard-headed Scotchman who took his time in
arriving at a conclusion, and when once he had passed judgment upon
any set of facts submitted to him there was no appeal from that deci-
sion so far as he was concerned. He belonged to the old Tory party
of a hundred years ago, was regarded as one of the most upright men
in the township of Ernesttown, and wielded a great influence among his
friends and neighbours. He was loyal to his King and loyal to his
church; in fact he was too loyal to believe that a Governor could do any
wrong. He no doubt was influenced in his political adherence to the
Tory party by the public utterances and contributions to the press of the
Presbyterian clergy of his day, who, while not going as far as the Angli-
cans in supporting the Family Compact, favoured the idea of the Gover-
nor and his advisers ruling the country, even to the extent of disregard-
ing the will of the people as expressed in the measures passed by their
representatives in Parliament. Isaac Fraser was, upon his retirement
from politics, appointed the first registrar of Lennox and Addington,
with his office at Millhaven. He was also a justice of the peace, as
was his father before him. For many years he was connected with
Asselstine’s woollen factory in Ernesttown, which was one of the princi-
pal industries of the township. He died in 1858, in his seventy-ninth
year.
L. L. GALLAGHER,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1907
Mr. Gallagher is a native of the county of Leeds, where he was
born in 1860. As his name would indicate he is of Irish descent, his
father having come to Canada in 1836, just in time to demonstrate his
376 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
national characteristic by joining the militia and taking a hand in the
defence of his newly adopted country. The subject of this sketch was
one of thirteen children, ten of whom grew into manhood and woman-
hood; and despite the superstitious prejudice against- the number
thirteen father and mother both lived to the age of seventy-nine years,
and the children, like their parents, have thrived and prospered. In 1885
Mr. Gallagher purchased the stock and store of Mr. D. S. Warner of
Wilton; in the following year he purchased the homestead of the late
Sidney Warner, and is to-day one of the most up-to-date and enter-
prising general merchants in the county. He has lost no opportunity
‘to boom the cheese industry, believing that our county is well adapted to
dairying and that a well-conducted cheese factory brings prosperity to
its patrons. For thirteen years he owned and operated two factories,
during which period his knowledge of the business was so well recog-
nized that for eight years he was secretary-treasurer of the Frontenac
Cheese Board and for two years its president. He was also, for ten
years, respectively third, second, and first vice-president of the Eastern
Dairyman’s Association.
He served as school trustee for three years in the Wilton section,
sat for three years as a member of the Ernesttown council, and for two
more took his position at the head of the table. In 1907 he attained
the highest municipal office in the county, and proved an energetic and
busy warden who inquired into the details of all matters coming before
the county council. Mr. Gallagher is still a young man with, let us hope,
many years of usefulness before him; and while he has been resting for
the past few years upon the public honours already acquired, and has
been devoting himself strictly to business, there is every probability that
later on he will make his influence felt in a higher sphere of politics.
:
2
Whar SmitH GILMOUR,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1910
Smith Gilmour was a farmer in the township of Sheffield, and
belonged to that type of manhood which is a credit to any community. ©
He strove in his own honest way to do what he conceived to be right,
with the result that he was highly esteemed by all. He was a member of
the Masonic Order, having served in all the important offices in his
mother Lodge at Tamworth. He was a devoted member of the Pres- e
byterian Church, yet broad enough in his views to recognize and encour-
age all denominations in the noble work of reclaiming fallen humanity.
He died in January, 1912, at the age of fifty-nine years. Ld
i*
j
rer
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 377
Joun T. GrancE
‘ Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1871-5
John T. Grange is a grandson of the Scotch mill-wright John
Grange who came to Napanee one hundred and twenty years ago to
overhaul the mill for Richard Cartwright, and a son of William Grange,
alleged to have been the first white child born in Napanee. William
Grange was born, lived, and died on the old Grange farm directly north
of the town. In his day there was a saw-mill on the creek on this farm:
but it was torn down fifty years ago and it now is one of the last places
in the county to be selected as a site for a mill. John T. was born in
1837, went first to a country school, then to the old East Ward school,
and finished his education in the old frame grammar school on West
Street where his cousin, James Grange, was head-master.
James, William, and Thomas Grange were engaged in the drug busi-
ness, although the names of the latter two did not appear as members of
the firm. When he had reached fourteen years of age, John T. entered
the drug store as a clerk. There were several changes in the personnel
of the firm; James sold out his interest to his brother John, who, after
the fire of 1857, sold out to William and Thomas; but the same firm
name of John Grange & Co. was retained until 1864, when William
Grange died, and it became Grange & Bros., the partners being the three
brothers, John T., Alex. W., George S., and their cousin, William
Grange. This combination lasted until 1879, when the partnership was
wound up, and Alex. and George started afresh under the name of A.
_W. Grange & Bro. and John T. formed a new partnership known as
Daly, Grange & Co.
John T. has continued to live in Napanee ever since he first entered
business, and is to-day one of the oldest residents. Not only has he
watched its upward progress for the past sixty years; but has, in one
way and another, participated in the building up and improvement of the
town. For ten years he was a member of the town council, and sat for
one year at the school board; but his greatest achievement was his elec-
tion to the Local Legislature over the Honourable John Stevenson, who
was considered a most formidable candidate. He was returned a second,
time in a three-cornered fight, in which he was opposed by the late
Thomas W. Casey and Phillip Booth. Mr. Grange has for many years
been one of the auditors of the county treasurer’s books, but the posi-
tion which is unanimously conceded to him is that of chairman at the
nomination meetings in Napanee. Just when, how, or why Mr. Grange
was chosen for this position for so many years neither he nor any one
378 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
else appears to know; but the fact remains that he was elected year
after year until the custom: became a fixed rule, and if any one pre-
sumed to bring forward any other name it would be resented as an
uncalled-for innovation.
Ira Ham,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1873
John Ham, the ancestor from whom all the Hams of Lennox and
Addington are descended, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and
took part in several important engagements. It is related of him that
at one time when in the firing line of the British forces he was struck
by a bullet from the rebel army, which lodged in the calf of his leg. He
limped away to the improvised field hospital and assisted the surgeon to
remove it, and picking up the blood-stained missile he wiped it dry, and
as a special favour requested a comrade to return it to the enemy in
the same manner in which it had been forwarded to him. He settled in
the township of Ernesttown, where he raised a family of ten children,
eight of whom were sons, all of whom lived and died in Canada.
Such was the U. E. L. grandfather of Ira Ham, a farmer in the
township of Fredericksburgh, who inherited some of the characteristics
of his grandfather, especially that of saying precisely what he meant.
He was a “plain, blunt man” accustomed to speak his mind freely upon
all subjects; but fortunately he was optimistic in his views and of a jolly
disposition, and rarely felt disposed to make any disagreeable or of-
fensive remarks. If he had occasion to comment severely upon any
event or concerning any individual, he never sought a dark corner in
which to express his views nor waited until the back of the individual
.he was about to criticise was turned, but spoke it frankly and freely in
broad daylight to his face. He rather enjoyed a scramble in municipal
politics, took a defeat with as good grace as he accepted a victory, and
was never known to grieve over the result of an election. In his native
township he was respected as a kindly neighbour and a man of many
good parts, not anxious to thrust himself forward, but prepared to
accept his share of the burden of public service. He was warden in ~
the year 1873, and ten years later died at his home in his native town-
ship.
Joun Davin Ham,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1866 and 1886
John D. Ham was a Seer of the U ES L. Baie ai
le
i
q
Ne See
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES N 379
was One of the most remarkable men of his day, of unusual ability, and a
philosopher with a natural instinct for business. He started out in life
a poor boy, who, for a few shillings a week, served as midshipman
before the mast in our bay and lake navigation, and then took a position
as clerk in the store of John Stevenson at Newburgh. The employer
quickly recognized in the young lad that high capacity for business
which in a few years gave him a standing among the leading merchants
of the county. He was promoted from clerk to partner; and in a short
time bought out Mr. Stevenson and continued in business until 1868,
when the death of his only child, a bright young man of twenty years,
blasted all his plans for the future.
By strict attention to his own affairs and honourable treatment of
all his customers he had at this time amassed a fortune which enabled
him to retire from mercantile pursuits. He sold out his store, made an
extensive tour of the continent, and settled down to a life of ease and
comfort. In the disastrous Newburgh fire of 1887 his home was
destroyed, when he purchased the W. S. Williams’ residence on Thomas
Street in Napanee and lived there until his death in 1893.
He was one of the only three wardens who have been returned a
second time to preside over the council; and that body might have
received the commendation of the electors of the county if he had been
retained in office a few years longer, instead of following the puerile
policy of changing wardens every year. It is quite true that they all
may be good men, but no good man can accomplish much in one short
term. He no sooner gets comfortably seated in the warden’s chair and
maps out for himself a policy than he is called upon to retire in favour
of some new blood, and thus the honours are passed around at the great
risk of the business standing still. County councils as a rule are not
very public-spirited. The representatives are so intent upon obtaining
some special grant or privilege for their respective municipalities that
often what affects the general welfare of the county is overlooked.
The public roads of this county are, and have for years been a dis-
grace to a wealthy community having abundance of excellent road
material in every township, and it has been largely due to the utter lack
of any well defined policy under the general supervision of competent
men. Each successive warden has some new ideas of his own, which,
in the matter of roads, are pretty sure to be centred upon the supposed
needs of his own township; so, instead of having one or two up-to-date
highways in the county, we have half-a-dozen apologies for roads upon
which a large proportion of the labour and material has been wasted.
Such a condition of affairs would hardly prevail if a good level-headed
5
380 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
business man were retained in the warden’s chair for a number of
years, or a thoroughly competent road engineer were given a free hand
to execute a systematic plan for improvement of the roads. —
Our county councillors in general are good men, but they are human
and cannot shake off the frailties of the race.
I cannot refrain from giving expression to an opinion long enter-
tained, that the business affairs of a county could be much more satis-
factorily conducted by a commission of three or four capable men, such
as was John D. Ham, elected or appointed for a term of years, than by
a dozen elected indiscriminately from all parts of the county. The sys-
tem is at fault, not the men who try to operate it.
John D. Ham was one of the leaders in the prolonged struggle over
the separation of the county from Frontenac. He set his heart upon
winning for his own village the coveted prize of the county seat and,
although there was not much to commend his cause, especially after the
course of the Grand Trunk Railway had been finally determined, he
succeeded for many years in defeating the main question of separation
by creating a dead-lock upon the minor question of the selection of a
county town. e
CuHarLEs W. HAMBLY,
_ Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1908
Mr. Hambly’s father and grandfather came to Canada from Eng-
land seventy-five years ago, and settled in the township of Fredericks-
burgh opposite Deseronto. One son, William Hambly, worked out by
the month for some time in Prince Edward, receiving for his labour the
_princely sum of tour dollars a month; and his brother, Samuel Hambly,
now living a retired life in Wananees had the same experience. They
despised not the small wage, which was the best to be obtained at the
time, and, by pursuing the same policy of thrift and industry, they met.
with that material prosperity which falls to the lot of most men in this
young and growing country who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves
and go to work where and when the opportunity presents itself.
Charles W. was born in the township of Fredericksburgh and has
continued to reside there up to the present time. He owns and operates ‘4
a good farm near the town, admires and always has one or more good — j
driving horses, and enjoys the free and independent life which the
farmer and the farmer alone is privileged to lead. ‘J
In 1905 he first tendered his services to the electors of ce niiell
tients ete i ed
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 381
to the business matters intrusted to him, as he has been in the council
ever since. This township has never acted upon the foolish policy of
passing the honours around, but when they get a good man in the coun-
cil and he has made himself familiar with the work in hand they keep
him at it. An examination of the records will probably disclose the fact
that North Fredericksburgh has had fewer reeves than any other town-
ship in the county, and it will also be found that no township has been
managed more economically. In 1908 C. W. Hambly was elected reeve
and made his debut in the county council; but instead of taking a corner
seat and waiting to see what the others do, he took his position upon the
dais as warden of the county. In the county council the policy of pass-
ing the honours around does prevail, so at the end of a year he retired
to the side benches. His promotion has been so rapid that people now
inquire “what next?”
Grorce Douctas HAwLey,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1880-3, 1886
Mr. Hawley was born about sixty years ago on the old Hawley
homestead in the township of Fredericksburgh. He is a son of the late
Joseph Case Hawley and grandson of the old U. E. L. soldier, Davis
Hawley, who first settled in Ernesttown, but afterwards moved over to
and died on the Fredericksburgh farm which Mr. George D. Hawley still
owns. Mr. Hawley is a mild mannered gentleman who is said to have
spent more sleepless nights over the death sentence of a convict in the.
Napanee jail which was subsequently commuted, than did the prisoner
himself, and would not be taken for an aggressive man; yet he achieved
the distinction of fighting no less than five election campaigns within the
short period of seven years. It might be added that all of these were
not of his own choosing. In 1879 he contested the riding of Lennox as
the nominee of the Liberal party against Mr. A. H. Roe, Conservative,
and was elected by a majority which, upon a recount, was narrowed
down to seven. The same contestants again entered the field in the gen-
eral election of 1883 when Mr. Roe was elected, but died before the end
of his term. At a bye-election Mr. Hawley defeated Mr. George T.
Blackstock, was unseated, and defeated him again, and for all his
trouble sat as member for Lennox for the one remaining session of the
unexpired term. In the general election which followed Mr. URfawley
buckled on his armour for the fifth time and was defeated by Dr.
Meacham.
In 1887 he was appointed clerk of the First Division Court at
Napanee, a position which he held until 1895, when he was appointed
382 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
successor to the late O. T. Pruyn, sheriff of the county of Lennox and
Addington. Mr. Hawley is a well-read man and a pleasing speaker,
although in recent years he has very rarely appeared upon any public
‘platform. He devotes himself to the duties of his office and the manage-
ment of his farm, and occasionally takes a little recreation in a hunting
expedition, but has never been charged with securing more game than
the hunter’s license permits.
Joun Hoc re,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1876
Bostian Hogle was one of the original party of Loyalists who set-
tled in the township of Ernesttown. His father, John Hogle, was a
captain in the British army and met his death at the battle of Benning-
ton. Of such stock was descended John Hogle who was born near
Ernesttown Station in 1826. He owned a small farm near Link’s Mills
and at one time owned and operated a woollen-mill and plaster-mills on
Mill Creek. He also claimed the distinction of having built and man-
aged the first cheese factory in the township.
While he had no opportunity to distinguish himself in military ser-
vice as did his great-grandparent whose name he bore, he was not averse
to a battle in the field of municipal politics, and was successful in seven
contests for the deputy-reeveship of his native township. While still in
the warden’s chair he was appointed Collector of Customs at the port of
Bath. He moved to the village and occupied, until his death in 1808,
the old homestead of the late William Davy. ‘The duties of his office
were not very onerous, but such as they were, he executed them with a
scrupulous regard for the preservation of the revenue, and was kind and
courteous to all who had business relations with him in his Creat capa-
city.
Avucustus FREDERICK GARLAND Hooper,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1866
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Canada, 1861 to 1863
Augustus Hoopér was born in Devonshire, England, in 1815, and
came to Canada in 1819 with his parents, who remained in the City of
Queb He was educated at the public school and seminary of the
Old Capital and, when he grew up, was engaged for a number of years” e
in a lumbering firm. In 1843 he set out for Canada West and estab-
lished himself in mercantile business at the village of Newburgh in part- a a
nership with his brother Douglas, under the baie name of A. % Dew
Hooper.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 383
About the year 1850 he built the old stone Hooper residence at
Camden East and branched out in the lumbering business, which he fol-
lowed until his death. He was for several years reeve of the township
of Camden, was the second warden of the county of Lennox and Add-
ington, and died on December 30th, 1866, one day before his term of
office expired He successfully contested the riding in 1861 for the old
Parliament of Canada, and was in turn defeated by Sir Richard Cart-
wright in 1863. Being an Addington man and closely associated with
the business interests of Newburgh, he quite naturally upheld the claims
of that village for the county seat, while Sir Richard, who was deeply
interested in Napanee, supported the latter village. The local question
of the separation of the counties and the choice of the county town over-
shadowed all other issues and turned the scale in Sir Richard’s favour.
Augustus Hooper had one son, the late E. J. Hooper, for whom he built
on Piety Hill in Napanee the substantial brick residence in which the
late Mrs. David Andrews lived for so many years. His widow, a sister
of the late David Andrews, survived her husband by forty-two years.
EpMuND JoHN GLynNn Hooper,
Member of the House of Commons, 1878-1882
Edmund Hooper, a brother of Augustus, was born in Cornwall,
England, in 1817, and two years later came to Canada with his parents
and lived in Quebec until 1843, when he moved to Upper Canada, and
was for some years associated with his brother Augustus in the lumber
business on the Napanee River. He afterwards operated a saw-mill on
Fifth Depot Lake, and was meeting with success in his new venture
when a disastrous fire, in 1855, wiped out his mill and a large quantity
of lumber. He next set up as a general merchant at Camden East and
remained there until 1863, when he removed to Napanee ard opened a
store on the north side of Dundas Street near the centre of the block
between John and Centre Streets, and afterwards moved over to the
other side of the street east of the Royal Hotel.
He was the first treasurer of the county, which office he held until
1880. He ran against Sir Richard Cartwright in 1873, and was defeated ;
but met with better success against the same opponent in 1878, and repre-
sented Lennox in the House of Commons until 1882, when he gave way
in favour of Sir John A. Macdonald. Mr., or more properly speaking,
Captain Hooper was in command of the Napanee Battery of Garrison
Artillery, and during the Fenian scare was in charge of the gun-boat
“Rescue” with a detachment of the Napanee Battery, and patrolled the
384 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
St. Lawrence from Kingston to Prescott. He was also engaged in the
suppression of the rebellion of 1837 as lieutenant, and afterwards cap-
tain of the Royal Artillery. Upon his return from the patrol service
in 1866 he was presented with a sword of honour by the Battery he
commanded. He built the brick dwelling on John Street, Napanee now
owned by Mr. J. J. Johnston. He died at Napanee in October, 1880.
EpmuND J. Hooper,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1867-71
Edmund J. Hooper, son of Augustus, was born at Camden East in
the stone house where his father lived and died. He practised law in
Napanee, and for a time lived in the Andrew’s house on Piety Hill. Mr.
Hooper had a keen sense of humour and always relished a good joke,
even at his own expense. He died at Napanee in the spring of 1892,
and was buried in the family plot at St. Luke’s Church, Camden East.
As a lawyer and politician he never went to extremes, was faithful
‘ to his friends, and fair and courteous to his opponents. He was a Con-
servative in politics and the first representative of Addington in the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario.
HirAM KEACH,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1902 “9
Hiram Keach was born near Centreville on May 26th, 1851, was
educated at the common school in Camden, and afterwards took a com-
mercial course at the Ontario Business College at Belleville. After thus
equipping himself for a commercial life he entered the employ of Steven-
“son & Lott as book-keeper in their lumber office. In 1876 he went into
partnership with L. Way, purchased the branch store of R. Downey &
Bros. in the village of Tamworth, and carried on that business. until
1880, when he and Mr. Vannest purchased the old Grange flour-mills
at Tamworth and continued to operate them until 1905. For the past
six years Mr. Keach has been accountant and store-keeper at the Mae eo
toba Penitentiary at Stony Mountain. i f
He was first elected to the township council as deputy-reeve in 1892
and afterwards as reeve in 1896. When the new County Council .
came in force he was elected one of the commissioners from the |
land Division and continued for eight years as the representative ¢
northern townships in that body. From 1898 to 1906 he .
of Sheffield and was warden of the county in 1902. ‘Asa
[POOP Aapsaay ‘URBAN “IV "me Sg
"NQSAON "VY ‘Cd ‘oue’y *S ‘f uosT! ey?) *A(quie / he *A[JOUIUIIY * AA TY SYIVJ PUtAsT ‘uo yy siggy “9 ff uojatdwmia yp tar Ay tay OF Yo JT—MOl JUOLT
“UOSITY “a *O ‘URUITIE AMA CY ‘seApq s ‘uosmeg ‘4 ‘f ‘ANOUWTpiC) YBIWIG ysiying "yy ‘UOPLSUIWIAS "SOY, "W431 OF YJaT—MO1 sOVG
“SYSHLO ONV 8061 40 TIONNOD ALNNOOD
Se ST SSS eS ee a 7 <M
Tm SS nee, ns eer rn nay
—_ Saye ae <a a a a eS aa
— —
~ o
SILVER LEAF BASEBALL CLUB—1874- 1878.
Back row—Left to right. Charles Baker. Charles Mills) Wm. Ross. John P. Davis.
Jas. E. Herring. Charles Schryver.
Front row.—Left to right. Charles Mair. ‘‘ Dod” Boyes. Frank Blair. John Phelan.
¢
F
;
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 885
didate in 1904 he contested unsuccessfully the riding of Addington at
the general election for member of the House of Commons and met a
similar fate at the provincial general election in the following year. Mr.
Keach is very retiring, not over modest nor bashful; but a simple, quiet
reserve possesses him that did not serve his purpose as a politician
among those who did not know him well. He is, however, cool and cal-
culating, a man of few words but good judgment, all of which are excel-
lent qualities for a councillor or member of Parliament but not very tell-
ing upon the hustings.
James Noxon Lapum,
Member of the House of Commons, 1867-1872
Mr. Lapum was a lifelong Conservative and the first representative
of Addington in the Dominion House; and the handsome Confedera-
tion medal awarded to each member of the first Parliament of the
Dominion is now preserved as a precious heirloom by his daughter, Mrs.
Thomas S. Johnston of Napanee. He _ shared the honours of the old
county with Sir Richard Cartwright, whose desk-mate he was during his
parliamentary term. He was born on the farm of his father near Wil-
ton, and at the age of seventeen was apprenticed to his brother-in-law,
Mr. Sidney Warner, with whom he served as clerk in the general store
and received a sound business training which equipped him for a suc-
cessful career.
In 1842 he set up in business for himself as a merchant at Whelan’s
Corners and was the strongest champion for the removal of the munici-
pal seat of the township from Clark’s Mills to that place, which, owing
to its central location, was named Centreville. It was through his efforts
that a post-office was established in 1843, and he was appointed the first
postmaster, a position which he continued to fill until his election to
the House of Commons. Every village is intimately connected with the
history of some one individual, and Mr. Lapum may quite properly be
styled the father of Centreville; but in bestowing this title upon him I
must reserve some of the honour which it carries for Squire William
Whelan, who, although he never aspired to a seat in Parliament, was a
prominent man in the community and dearly loved by all who knew him.
Mr. Lapum was a justice of the peace and well qualified to act as such;
but owing to his extensive business connection he willingly left in the
hands of the Squire the administration of the law in that part of the
county, knowing full well that justice would be done.
Although slight in stature Mr. Lapum was a man of great en-
durance and capable of transacting more business in a day than most
386 —- HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
men would perform in two. A general store handling all sorts of mer-
chandise and receiving in exchange every kind of produce from eggs to
ashes would tax the energies of. a man of ordinary capacity; but if we
add to this the superintendence of the post-office, the building of a store,
residence, and cheese factory, and the management of two farms, we
wonder what time was left for sleep and refreshment.
Yet with all these calls upon his time we find him taking an active
part in the organization and maintenance, of the militia corps of the
county, in municipal affairs, and finally in federal politics as standard-
bearer of the Conservative party; and whatever work he assayed to per-
form he entered into it with his whole heart. He was for many years
and up to the time of his death treasurer of the township, and the task
of his auditors was an easy One, as his books were accurately and neatly
kept. He died in July, 1879, within a few days before completing his
sixtieth year; and although it was a busy season among all classes, the
esteem in which he was held in the county was manifested by the hun-
dreds who turned out to his funeral, which was said to be the largest
ever held in the township. 7
Epwin SmitH Lapum,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1891
E. S. Lapum was born upon the farm of his father, Chauncey
Lapum, in the township of Portland in 1848, and remained at home with
his father until he was sixteen years of age, when he went to his uncle’s
(Sidney Warner) store in Wilton, where he served in the capacity of a
clerk for three or four years. Being of a lively disposition he cast long,
ing eyes towards the gayety of the village of Newburgh, which at that
time was celebrated for its handsome beaux and pretty belles ; his appren- 4
ticeship under his uncle was a sufficient guarantee of his ability as a ag
clerk, and he with no difficulty secured a similar position in the general
store of Miles Caton. Having satisfied himself with all that the village
life had to offer, his next move was to Napanee, to the store of Thomas
Mallory. He remained with Mallory for five or six years and then set
up in the insurance business on his own account, and for the past six
years has conducted a furniture store as well. |
Upon the death of the late Robert Mill Mr. Lapum was appolited ay
his successor as treasurer of the town of hg a es et which ie;
>
and no candidate for smnicipal honours was ever better
«
A
i. a.
= se Bake
whe
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 387
paign tactics than he. No man could excel him in getting out the vote;
and when the ballots were counted his name was generally found among
the favoured few who secured the requisite number to entitle them to
a seat within the bar of the council chamber. For twenty-two years he
was a member of the town council, and during that period served upon
every committee, sat in the mayor’s chair one year, and for one year
presided over that more august body, the county council. Mr. Lapum
never does things by halves, and believes in the theory that if a thing
is worth doing at all it is worth doing well, and if it is worth doing well
it should be done at once. Being active in his habits, quick in his move-
ments, and careful in execution, he was a useful man in the council, and
on many an occasion ridiculed the shameful waste of time in “Words!
Words! Words!” and thus enabled the members to get through more
work than they otherwise would. He would grasp a complicated situa-
tion, place it before his hearers in a simplified form, concluding his
exposition with his favourite phrase, “d’ye understan?” and if they
did not understand, the operation would be repeated with emphatic
gestures until the argument was driven home.
BENJAMIN C. Lioyp,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1884
Mr. Lloyd was born in New York State about the year 1831, and
while yet a mere lad came with his parents to reside in the county of
Hastings. On attaining manhood he and his brother Charles removed
to the township of Ernesttown. By his industry and thrift he purchased
a good farm on the Newburgh Road near the village of Strathcona,
_ where he lived the rest of his days, and died in 1905. He was a plain,
honest, hard-working farmer, devoted to his calling, yet alive to the
interests of the general public, and willing to accept the responsibility
of performing such public duties as were assigned him.
A. B.. Loyst,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1911
, Major A. B. Loyst is one of the rising young men of the county,
iq who, although he has not yet reached his twoscore years has made
remarkable progress in everything he has undertaken. He was born in
South Fredericksburgh on the shores of Hay Bay in 1874, and still finds
in the good old township ample scope for his ambition, and recognizes
_ that the life of a farmer is no drawback to the advancement of an
> a y
*
388 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
energetic man. He was not sixteen years of age when he joined the
militia, and before he was thirty he had attained the rank of major.
He has already been a member of the township council for six years,
four of which he was reeve, and in 1911 reached the highest municipal
office in the county by being chosen warden, and as such acquitted him-
self honourably and impartially.
THe Ricut HonourasBLe Sir JoHn A. Macponatp, K.C.M.G.,
Member of the House of Commons, 1882
It was always very apparent that Sir John had not forgotten his
boyhood days in Adolphustown, or his experiences in Napanee when he
was a clerk in a Clarkville store and sang in the English Church choir
in the old East Ward school-house, for he retained a warm place in his
heart for his old friends in Lennox and Addington and frequently
recalled these early associations. His career is known to the reader, so
I will content myself with a few extracts from a tribute paid to his
memory in the House of Commons by his friend, but political opponent,
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, upon the occasion of the announcement of his
death :
“It is in every respect a great national loss, for he is no more who
was in many respects. Canada’s most illustrious son, and who was in
every sense Canada’s foremost citizen and statesman. . . . His loss
overwhelms us. For my part I say, with all truth, his loss overwhelms
me, and that it also overwhelms this Parliament, as if indeed one of the
institutions of the land had given way. Sir John A. Macdonald now
belongs to the ages; and it can be said with certainty that the career
which has just been closed is one of the most remarkable careers in this
century. It would be premature at this time to attempt to divine or
anticipate what will be the final judgment of history upon him; but there
were, in his career and in his life, features so prominent and so con-
spicuous that already they shine with a glory which time cannot alter.
These characteristics appear before the House at the present time such —
as they will appear to the end in history.
“I think it can be asserted that for the supreme art of governing
men Sir John Macdonald was gifted as few men in any land or in any
age were gifted—gifted with the most high of all qualities—qualities
which would have shone in any theatre, and which would have shone
conspicuously the larger the theatre. The fact that he could congregate
together elements the most heterogeneous and blend them into one com-
pact party, and to the end of his life keep them steadily under his hand, ©
fa
7
‘
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 389
is perhaps altogether unprecedented. The fact that during all these
years he maintained unimpaired, not only the confidence, but the devo-
tion, the ardent devotion, and affection of his party, is evidence that,
beside these higher qualities of statesmanship to which we were the
daily witnesses, he was also endowed with that inner, subtle, undefinable
characteristic of soul which wins and keeps the hearts of men.
“As to his statesmanship, it is written in this history of Canada. It
may be said, without any exaggeration whatever, that the life of Sir
John Macdonald, from the date he entered Parliament, is the history of
Canada, for he was connected and associated with all the events, all the
facts, all the developments, which brought Canada from the position
Canada then occupied—the position of two small provinces, having noth-
ing in common but the common allegiance, and united by a bond of
paper, and united by nothing else—to the present state of development
which Canada has reached.”
He was member for Lennox during the first session of the Parlia-
ment following the general election of 1882.
W. A. Martin,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1905
“Alf.” Martin, as he is known in and out of public life, son of
William Martin, farmer, was born in the fourth concession of the town-
ship of Richmond in 1860. He received a common school education and
attended the High School at Napanee for a few terms; but he made the
best use of his opportunities, and did not lay aside his books when he
returned to the farm. He moved with his parents to the township of
Camden in 1883, and upon the death of his father, in 1900, inherited the
farm near Moscow upon which he had lived since leaving Richmond.
There is a good strain of Irish blood in his veins, which asserts itself
as soon as a general election is announced. Only once was he elected
to the township council, yet for eleven years he represented that town-
ship in the county council, an achievement which few, if any, in the pro-
vince have equalled; and one which none can surpass. He was elected
deputy-reeve the year before the Act came in force under which the
commissioners forming the county council were not members of the
township councils, and during the ten years that Act remained in force
he was returned as commissioner from Camden.
He keeps abreast of the times upon all public questions, is a pleas-
ing platform speaker, and is quite at home upon the hustings. He once
contested the riding of Addington for a seat in the House of Commons,
ae Daas @ — . _
330 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
and was by no means dismayed at not receiving the requisite number ;
of votes to enable him to write M. P. after his name. He is progressive
and alert, and being still a young man he may be heard of again in the
political arena.
W. W. MEAcHAM,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1887-98
The writer has pleasant recollections of attending school in the old
stone school-house at Rednersville in the county of Prince Edward. The
teacher was a mild-mannered young man who chose to rule by love
rather than by fear, and in the gentlest of tones corrected his none too
attentive pupil, and smilingly patted him on the head when perhaps a
birch across the shoulders would have been more in keeping with the
prevailing system. Measured in years this seems long, long ago; but
only as yesterday when the freshness of the picture is considered.
Years passed by until a certain provincial election in Lennox, when
entering a public meeting in Napanee called in the interests of the Con-
servative candidate, he again saw his old teacher in the same gentle tones
soliciting the votes of the electors, and those gentle tones prevailed. The
same old smile that won the hearts of his pupils captured the votes of
the electors, and Dr. Meacham continued for three successive Legislatures
to represent the old riding of Lennox.
He was a grandson of Dr. Seth Meacham, who in the early part of
the nineteenth century came to Canada from the New England States
and practised medicine in Belleville for many years. The grandson,
Walter W., was born in Colborne on September 22nd, 1841, and was
educated at Albert and Victoria Colleges. He taught school at Bridge-
. water in the county of Hastings and in Rednersville in the county of
Prince Edward. He studied medicine at Dr. Rolph’s Medical School
in Toronto and received his degree as a Doctor of Medicine in 1869. He
practised his profession for many years at the village of Odessa. He
was a friend to the poor, and when summoned to the bed-side of the
sick he never inquired as to the ability of his patient to meet his bills,
but gave rich and poor the same attention. In 1899 he removed to
Warsaw in the county of Peterborough, where he died on July 27th,
1905. fF
Joun S. MILER, . rf
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1886-90 ) ‘
John Stewart Miller is of Irish descent; his ancestors having come ‘4 of
to America and settled in New England; but during the Revolutionary | i a
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 391
War they joined the tefugees for Canada, lived at Three Rivers until
1790, and then moved farther westward to the shores of the Bay of
Quinte. J. S. Miller was born in 1844 in the township of Camden and
spent his early years upon the farm of his father, Thomas Miller. He
received the ordinary common school education, to which he added in
1871 a course at the Business College at Belleville. In 1875 he was
appointed clerk of the township of Camden, which office he filled until
1886, when he resigned the clerkship and was appointed treasurer.
He was an active member of the Orange and Masonic Orders, hay-
ing attained the coveted honour of County-Master of the Orange Asso-
ciation in 1878-9. He was a member of Prince of Wales Lodge A.F. &
A.M. Newburgh, and assisted in the organization of Victoria Lodge,
Centreville, and Lorne Lodge, Tamworth, and was Master of both of
the new Lodges. He was attached to the 48th Battalion and attained the
rank of lieutenant, and upon its disbandment joined the 47th.
In 1886, receiving the Conservative nomination, he was elected mem-
ber of the Local House and represented Addington during the ensuing
Parliament. In 1883 he became a merchant at Centreville, and continued
to live there until 1890, when he moved to Manitou, Manitoba, where he
and his son, H. S. Miller, as proprietors of the Poplar Glen Farm, are
pursuing the vocation of their ancestors. He was not long in his west-
ern hore when his services were requisitioned by the Manitoba Govern-
ment, and he was appointed upon a commission to investigate and report
upon the advisability of establishing an agricultural college in the prairie
province. The commissioners visited several institutions in the United
States and made such a clear and comprehensive report that it was acted
upon, and a college established in accordance with their recommenda-
tions. Mr. Miller served as reeve of Pembina in 1895-6-7, after which
he retired from public life, and has since devoted himself to the cultiva-
tion of his magnificent farm.
WILLIAM MILLER,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1871
William Miller was born near Bath in the township of Ernesttown
in 1830, and lived upon the farm with his father until he was eighteen
years of age, when he left home to serve as a clerk in Gunn’s general
store in Kingston. He devoted himself faithfully to the interests of his
employer ; and in a few years had so mastered the details that his father
set him up in business for himself in East Ward, Napanee. About the
same time, his brother, Davis H. Miller, came to the village and engaged
392 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
in business as a grain merchant, having his office in his brother’s store.
Both displayed remarkable business ability, and each in his own sphere
succeeded in accumulating a small fortune; and although they were
intimately associated and took counsel one with the other in important
transactions, yet at no time were they in partnership. In the early
seventies both retired from the mercantile business, but retained offices
in the Miller Block in East Ward, where one or the other of the two
brothers could always be found prepared for an old-fashioned visit, a
game of checkers, or an advance of any reasonable sum upon real estate
at a fair rate of interest. William Miller upheld the traditions of the
family name by his uprightness in all his business transactions.
His favourite pastimes were driving and hunting. He was a good
judge of horseflesh, and his services were in great demand at the county
fairs. He always owned a good team of roadsters, and never appeared
happier than when taking his afternoon drive behind a spirited pair of
thorough-breds. He annually formed one of a party of sportsmen to
visit the north country during the hunting season, and rarely returned
without one or more pairs of fine antlers to his credit. While on one of
these expeditions, in 1898, he became separated from his companions,
and for four days in a chilly November was lost in the forest and,
exhausted with hunger and fatigue, he took refuge in a deserted cabin,
where he was found in a critical condition by another hunting party.
His talents as a sound business man never showed to better advantage
than in the warden’s chair, where he safely guided the council through
one of the most important years in its history.
RoBERT PATTERSON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1892
Robert Patterson was a farmer and a soldier, and attained a very .
high degree of perfection in both vocations. His watchword was
“thoroughness.” He joined the 48th Battalion during the Fenian excite-
ment in 1866, and in the following winter attended the military school
at Kingston and devoted himself so diligently to his militia work that he
was raised to the rank of major in 1875. He commanded the company
which acted as a guard of honour to Lord Dufferin upon the occasion
of his first visit to Kingston; and so pleased was His Excellency with
the fine appearance and soldierly bearing of the island company that he
complimented the major upon the excellent service he had rendered.
His large farm on the east end of the island was well stocked with thor-
ough-bred Durham cattle, which he was the first to import to the town-
~
' BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 393
ship. His well-tilled acres and comfortable home, where his large circle
of friends always found a warm Irish welcome, bespoke that same
thoroughness which characterized every undertaking to which he applied
himself.
In all public matters, whether municipal, provincial, or federal, he
was a strenuous worker; and the candidate for political honours who
received his support could rest assured that the major would not retire
from the field until the last vote had been cast. The issues in a town-
ship election are never very clearly defined; yet the forces on Amherst
Island, even in the days of Major Patterson, lined up for battle; and
the successful candidates were held strictly to account for their ante-
election promises, with the result that the controllable rate levied for
taxes was always a moderate one, the public moneys were wisely
expended, and no municipality in the county is more economically man-
aged than our island township. He served many years in the local coun-
cil and was honoured with the wardenship in 1892, in which position his
sterling qualities were highly appreciated. He died deeply lamented on
January Ist, 1895, in the fifty-seventh year of his age.
GrorRGE PAuL,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1875
A few years after Napoleon I. was finally shorn of his power and
Wellington’s army had been disbanded, three of his veterans decided to
devote the rest of their lives to the ploughshare instead of the sword.
‘They came to America and settled in the township of Camden, and were
known as the “The Three Williams,”—William Paul, William Allan,
and William Nugent. George Paul was the third son of William Paul
and was born in Camden in 1828. The north-west part of the township
was a dense forest at the time, and the opportunities for acquiring even
a common school education were very meagre indeed. For a few months
during the winter a teacher might be secured to board around the
neighbourhood and impart to the boys and girls of his patrons an imper-
fect knowledge of the three R’s; and they were considered lucky who
had the privilege of attending such a school. In some sections there
would be a school-house; but in many the living-room of some settler’s
log cabin was the only place available. It is remarkable how many
bright, intelligent men were reared amid such surroundings, men who
in after years filled positions of trust and honour. Such was the lot of
George Paul, who became one of the strongest men in Camden, figured
conspicuously for years in municipal affairs, and was chosen warden in
394 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
1875. He finally settled on the old Greave farm near Camden East, © 2
where he spent his declining years.
WiuiaM J. PAvL,
Member of Ontario Legislature, 1905-11
Member of the House of Commons, 1911 to present time
That it pays to be pleasant and agreeable to all persons has been
well illustrated in the case of Mr. Paul. That he might have attained
rank and position nad he been otherwise is quite possible; but an elec-
tion by acclamation such as was tendered him in 1908 can be attributed
only to the fact that he is at all times a friend to every one. He not
only represents the constituents of his riding, but he does his best to
serve them. He is descended from the old bombardier of the Royal
Army, William Paul, who is referred to in the notices of R. W. Paul
and George Paul. I do not know that he has ever seen the
“Land of brown heath and shaggy wood
Land of the mountain and the flood,”
but his veins are full of good Scotch blood, the kind that will not be
downed. It is said that when his grandfather was in the wars, his good
wife Janet accompanied the army on the march, with the family bedding
strapped to the cannon.
W. J. Paul, son of Robert, was born in Camden in July, 1854, and
followed the occupation of a farmer and lumber-man; but in more
recent years has devoted himself almost exclusively to the cheese indus-
try, and at the present time is operating no less than four factories. His
grandfather on his mother’s side was Neil Stewart, the first reeve of
* the township of Sheffield, and his father was a member for many years
of the council of Kennebec and Sheffield.
William J. received no education but such as the common schools
of Camden and Sheffield afforded; and here he displayed what is gen-
erally conceded to be another Scotch characteristic in helping himself
to all that was to be had. He was returned a great many times to the ou
Sheffield council, and for ten years was either reeve or commissioner to
the county council. In 1905 he was elected as representative for Add-
ington in the Provincial House by a majority of 625, the largest ever i
given to a candidate in that riding. So great indeed was the vote that 7
in the next generai election in 1908 he was returned without opposition. ais
He retired from the provincial arena in 1911, and was elected to the —_—
cs House of Commons by a majority of 586; and if his past experience is mh
a th® |
hes -_
’ aes Pe, if
-
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 395
any criterion he need not worry much when the next nomination day
comes. It is needless to add that he is a staunch supporter of the Con-
servative administration,
Rosert W. Paut,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1904
Robert W. Paul comes from good old Scotch stock. His grand-
father was born in Edinburgh, was a soldier in the British Army, and
saw active service in the Peninsular war. He emigrated to Canada in
1819 and settled in Camden, where he raised four sons, one of whom
was the late William Paul of Roblin.
Robert W., the eldest son of William, lived with his father upon
the farm until he was eighteen years of age, when he drifted away to
California to seek a fortune. This was near the close of the Revolu-
tionary War when the Pacific Coast States were bidding high for emi-
grants, and Mr. Paul joined the train of adventurers bound for the
Golden West. For two years the fortune he was seeking eluded his
grasp, and he concluded that Canada was not such a bad place after all;
so, packing his carpet-bag, he turned his back upon the land of sunshine
and returned to his native county, where by his own pluck and persever-
ance he demonstrated that the county of Lennox and Addington offers
opportunities, to any young man of determination, as attractive as any
other part of the American continent. He engaged in farming and
branched off into dealing in eggs and hides, until he has established an
extensive business connection-in these two commodities.
The militant spirit of the grandfather has survived two generations,
and Robert W. inherited his full share of the fighting qualities of the
old soldier, and has engaged in many a municipal contest, in which he
has come out victor eighteen times. He first entered the field as a can-
didate for councillor while a resident of the township of Camden, and
for several years was a member of the council of his native township.
He subsequently moved to Richmond, where he still resides at the village
of Selby; and it was not long before his influence was felt in the public
. affairs of that township. The electors wisely placed his name upon the
nomination list; and he has for many years been a member of the Rich-
’ mond council and a staunch champion of the rights of his constituents.
As-*warden of the county he was courteous to all; but insisted upon the
embryo orators confining themselves to the subjects under discussion, an
example that might profitably be followed in most municipal bodies.
396 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
PETER PERRY,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1825-1836
Peter Perry was born about one hundred and twenty years ago on
lot number three in the first concession of Ernesttown; and although
many worthy men have since then upheld the honours of the family he
was the most illustrious to bear the name. Robert Perry, a sergeant in
the King’s Royal Rangers, and his two sons, Daniel and Robert Junior,
were all members of that loyal band
“Who loved
The cause that had lost, and kept their faith
To England’s crown and scorned an alien name,
- Passed into exile, leaving all behind
Except their honour, and the conscious pride
Of duty done to country and to King.”
Peter was the son of Daniel and was brought up on his father’s
farm, receiving only the meagre education offered to the youth of the
township at the time; but the lessons of loyalty were deeply instilled in
his youthful breast by hearing from the lips of his father and grand-
father the trials they had undergone rather than join the rebel ranks.
These lessons were never forgotten, and when he had grown to man-
hood and saw the government of Upper Canada passing into the hands
of an irresponsible and grasping faction he was among the first to raise
his voice against the prostitution of the people’s rights and to demand
for his constituents that liberty and equality for which his grandfather
had fought and suffered. |
He lived with his father until he attained his majority, when he
married Miss Mary Ham, a daughter of John Ham, and settled on lot
number twenty-five in the second concession of Fredericksburgh. He
was first elected to the Legislature of Upper Canada in 1825 and, with
Marshall Spring Bidwell, continued to represent Lennox and Addington
until 1836. During his last term he moved to Whitby, engaged in mer-
cantile affairs, and became one of the most prominent figures in that
county. He had extensive business connections in the northern part of
the county, and the town of Port Perry on Lake Scugog was named
after him. He was a man of strong individuality, persuasive and tena-
cious, just such a man as the Family Compact feared, as he was an
uncompromising advocate of reform. History has fully justified the
noble stand he took, and the county of Lennox and Addington has just
reason to be proud of this pioneer politician who went down to defeat
os r — ;
i
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 397
in his fourth election fighting bravely for the cause which ultimately
prevailed, and laid the foundation for a constitution excelled by none in
the world.
There are many branches of the Perry family, all descended from
the old U. E. L. Sergeant, now scattered over the country, but no worth-
ier scion of the name lives to-day than Commissioner A. B. Perry,
C.M.G., the head of the Royal North West Mounted Police, an old Len-
nox boy, born and brought up on his father’s farm in the township of
Ernesttown.
EBENEZER Perry,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1872
Ebenezer Perry was born in the year 1801. An anecdote is still
preserved concerning him and his cousin, Job Aylesworth, which is
illustrative of the character of the two men. They were working one
day in a field when they fell to discussing a subject which had recently
been introduced in the neighbourhood, a somewhat unpopular one in the
days of our grandfathers, the subject of total abstinence. It had never
occurred to them before that so universal a beverage as whiskey could
be, or ought to be, totally eliminated from their dietary. Leaning upon
their hoe-handles they threshed the question out in all its bearings, and
determined upon a course of action which they promptly put into exe-
cution by repairing to a neighbouring tavern, which in those days was
never difficult to find. Arriving at the hostelry they called for two
bumpers of the “accursed liquid,” pledged each other’s health, drained
their glasses to the bottom, and with a hearty hand-shake declared they
would never taste it again—a pledge they both kept for all time. A
more extended review of Mr. Perry’s life will be found in the chapter
upon Sheffield and the northern townships.
Matuew W. Pruyn,
Member of the House of Commons, 1885-6
M. W. Pruyn was born of U. E. L. parents in Fredericksburgh on
October 22nd, 1819; but the farm had few attractions for him. He was
educated at the common schools, and when a mere lad went to Wood-
stock, where he lived four or five years and acquired a knowledge of
the grocery trade. In 1840 he set up in business for himself in Brant-
ford and did well until 1862, when his entire stock was destroyed by
fire upon the day following the expiry of his insurance policy. While
residing in Brantford he was twice elected to the town council and in
398 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
1858 was mayor. After the loss of his stock he set out for the West,
going by way of Panama and up the Pacific coast to British Columbia,
where he spent two years in the mountains prospecting for gold which
he never found in sufficient quantities to induce him to continue the
search. He returned to his native province in 1864 just as the separa-
tion of the counties took place; and as his brother, O. T. Pruyn, was
appointed sheriff of the new corporation of the county of Lennox and
Addington he chose M. W. Pruyn as his deputy. This position he con-
tinued to fill until 1871, when he embarked again in the mercantile life
and followed it until his death in 1808.
In the years following the general election of 1882 Lennox passed
through a political maelstrom in which both pglitical parties appear to
have completely lost their heads. Election followed election, protest
followed protest, corruption was rampant; and there are some who main-
tain that the evil influence of those campaigns has not yet been wiped
out. It was through such an atmosphere that Mr. Pruyn entered poli-
tics. He had no sins to answer for, as he had not taken an active part
in the other elections, and was returned by a majority of fifty-eight votes
over the Liberal candidate, and held his seat for the balance of the
parliamentary term. He was a courteous and refined gentleman, cautious
never to give offence, yet capable of defending himself if he felt his
position was unjustly attacked. He was just the type of man to bring
before a set of electors whose blood was aroused, for his quiet, easy
manner would have a tendency to soothe the hysterical element that is so
much in evidence on both sides during a hot election. He never offered
himself again as a candidate, in fact took very little part in subsequent
elections, but devoted himself to his own affairs.
James Ren,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1887
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1890-1905
James Reid bears the name of his grandfather who emigrated to
Canada from County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1829, and lived in Kingston for
a few years after his arrival, spent a few more years in the township of
Ernesttown, and finally settled down in the eighth concession of Cam-
den about three miles from Croydon. With James Reid the elder came
his infant son, Robert Reid, but four years old when he left his native
land. The young lad followed the fortunes of his father in the pioneer
life in Camderi until he was old enough to shift for himself, when he
married and settled on a lot about three miles east of Enterprise, where
he raised a family of nine, all of whom are living at the present time.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 399
James Reid, ex-M.P.P., one of these nine, was born in 1848. Car-
man Creek crossed through the old homestead, and his father, utilizing
the water-power of this stream, built a saw-mill upon its bank and com-
bined the more lucrative occupation of lumber-man with that of farmer.
His son James devoted himself to getting out the timber, conveying it
to the mill, and converting it into lumber; and became master of every
branch of the industry. In the early days, when the limits were more
accessible than to-day, this little mill had an annual output of 1,000,000
feet of merchantable lumber. In 1875 Mr. Reid married and took up
farming in his native township, which he followed until 1908, when he
was appointed registrar of deeds for the county. To most men lumber-
~ ing and farming would not be chosen as a fitting apprenticeship for the
somewhat intricate duties of the office of registrar; but Mr. Reid has
proven his adaptability to these dissimilar callings, and his well-kept
books and his never failing courtesy to all having occasion to examine
the records intrusted to his keeping have fully justified the appoint-
ment. :
Public honours have been freely showered upon him; and of him
it may truthfully be said they were not always of his seeking. He was
the only non-resident of the village ever appointed to the board of trus-
tees of the Newburgh High School. He was a member of the municipal
council of Camden for. ten years, eight of which he was a member
of the county council and filled the warden’s chair for one term.
It was no small compliment to him that, in a riding with many aspirants
for political honours, he sat in the Legislative Assembly for fifteen ses-
sions. The people of Addington make many calls upon the time and
patience of their representative in the provincial house, especially in
their dealings with the Crown Lands Department in which many diffi-
cult questions arise. In this respect Mr. Reid proved himself a friend
indeed to scores of his constituents, and freely rendered his services to
all applicants for his assistance, never stopping to inquire their political
leanings or position in life. He received his nomination from the Con-
servative Association.
Cuar_es RILEY,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1901
Charles Riley was born in Ireland in the month of November, 18309,
and came to Canada in 1847. Mr. Riley is a shoemaker by trade, and
like many others of the same calling is somewhat of a philosopher.
Just why the last, awl, hammer, and needle should be conducive to logi-
7
400 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
cal reasoning and a philosophical turn of mind has never been satisfac-
torily explained; but the fact remains, so many at least are pleased to
believe, that shoemakers are good reasoners and rarely do or say foolish
things. Mr. Riley is no exception to this rule, if rule it be. He came
to Camden East in 1857, where he has continued to reside until the pre-
sent time. For a number of years he was a trustee of school section
number three of Camden East and secretary-treasurer of the board.
From 1893 to 1896 he was deputy-reeve of Camden; and when the
county council was composed of commissioners elected from the different
divisions Mr. Riley was one of the first representatives from the Cam-
den division. He was chosen warden in 1901 and discharged the duties
of the office in a very satisfactory manner.
CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1797-8
Upon one of the tablets in the memorial church at Adolphustown
appears the following simple inscription:
In Memory of
Christopher Robinson
Ensign Queen’s Rangers, Inspector
Crown Woods,
One of the first Benchers of the
Law Society
M. P. Lennox and Addington 1794,
Born about 1763, died 1798.
At this time Lennox and Addington were not united as a riding;
but Addington was joined with the islands along the lake and river front
known as the county of Ontario, and Addington and Ontario had one |
representative. In the first Parliament, from 1792 to 1796, Joshua Booth
was the representative. Christopher Robinson succeeded Booth, but
died in November, 1798, after having been in attendance at the first two
sessions of the second Legislature. Few men in the short span of thirty-
five years attained such distinction as this early representative of our
county. In his character and achievements he fully sustained the honour
of a long line of illustrious ancestors and passed on unsullied the price-
less heritage of a good name to a posterity just as distinguished. Sir
John Beverly Robinson, Chief Justice of Upper Canada from 1829 to
1863, was a son of Christopher, and Sir Christopher Robinson, the most
eminent lawyer ever produced by the Law Society of Upper Canada, was
his grandson.
NAPANEE CRICKET CLUB AT SYRACUSE, 1885.
Standing—Left to right. Wm A Daly. J -hnoG Daly. R.A. Leonard. J. Allum.
A visitor. Fred Daly. George Burrows T. D. Pruyn.
Sitting—Left to right. Herbert Daly. Ilaro!ld Jones. F S. Richardson, (Captain).
George Maybee James E Ilerring. Wm. Doxsee.
——-.- — » *. ’
>
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 401
Joun Rosin, ,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1809-10
John Roblin was living the peaceful life of a farmer in New Jersey
at the time of the Revolution, taking no part in the contest. His home
was attacked and fired upon by a scouting party, and he was wounded
in the knee, stripped of his clothing, and his house ransacked. The
ruffians placed the muzzle of a musket at the breast of his wife and
defied her to call George her King, at which she fearlessly replied, “He
once was; why not now?” ‘The husband was afterwards placed in a
rebel hospital and his wound so neglected that he was crippled for life.
He abandoned his farm, joined the refugees, and settled in Adolphus-
town.
In 1809 Lennox and Addington became entitled to two members in
the Parliament of Upper Canada, and Roblin was duly elected; but as
he was a Reformer his presence in the House was objectionable to the .
Family Compact. As no other charge could be brought against him a
petition was filed against his return upon the ground that he was a local
preacher of the Methodist Church, and in the eyes of the Compact an
enemy to the established Church, and consequently not a fit and proper
person to take part in the deliberations of the Legislature of a British
colony; he was accordingly expelled from the House in 1810. After
his death his wife purchased one hundred acres of land in Sophiasburgh,
went into the woods with her family of small children, and assisted in
felling the trees to build for herself a log cabin. She paid for her land
by weaving, and brought up a family whose descendants have been
among the leading men of Prince Edward county.
Davip Rosin,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada,
1854-62
David Roblin was born at Adolphustown, on April 19th, 1812. He
was the youngest son of John Roblin, M.P.P., who was born in the State
of New York, and was among the United Empire Loyalists who settled
in Adolphustown ‘in 1784.
Mr. Roblin spent his boyhood days upon his father’s farm at
Adolphustown, moving to Napanee when twenty years of age, and was
the first merchant to engage in business on the Merchant’s Bank corner.
He later removed to Fredericksburgh, then to Richmond, and finally
returned to Napanee. He married Miss Pamelia Hawley, a daughter of
402 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Jehiel Hawley of Fredericksburgh, and upon removing from Richmond
to Napanee lived on West Street, in the small brick house north of the
residence of Mr. James Daly. While living there he built the large brick
residence on the top of the hill in the east end of the town, after which
it was known as Roblin’s Hill. He continued to live there until his
death on March Ist, 1863. He was engaged largely in the lumber busi-
ness, and in connection with the late Schuyler Shibley, speculated freely
in U. E. L. scrip, making large sums of money; but, although his income
was at times quite fabulous, he was of too generous a nature to accumu-
late a fortune, but spent his money as easily as he earned it. He had a
large family, entertained extensively, was kind to the rich and poor alike,
and always had a host of friends.
In 1841 he was elected to the district council as reeve of Rich-
mond, and continued to hold his seat as representative of that township
until 1859. In 1850 he was elected warden of the united counties and
. occupied the warden’s chair until the end of 1857.
_ He always took a prominent part in politics, having early attached
himself to the Liberal party. His activity pointed him out as the com-
ing man for Lennox and Addington very shortly after the removal of
Messrs. Bidwell and Perry. In 1844 he ran in opposition to Honour-
able Benjamin Seymour, and was defeated; and having met with some
pecuniary losses he stood aside in favour of Mr. Cephas H. Miller of
Newburgh at the election of 1848; but Seymour again proved invincible.
Upon the House being dissolved, Mr. Roblin was again the candidate of
the Liberal party in opposition to Mr. Seymour; but was again defeated.
In July, 1854, the contest was between the same gentlemen; and this
time Mr. Roblin was elected by a majority of fifty-four; and he con-
tinued to represent the county until 1862.
He was a firm adherent of Sir Francis Hincks, and went over with
him to the Coalition. He became and remained a steadfast supporter
of that administration through all its changes. A strong, personal
friendship existed between him and the member from Kingston, which
continued unbroken up to the time of his death. Mr. Roblin’s adherence
to the Coalition, however, changed the position of parties in Lennox and
Addington; many of his old friends disapproved of his course and for-
sook him; but through the influence of Sir John A. Macdonald and his
friends he obtained many supporters from the ranks of old political
opponents. A portion of each of the old parties supported him, and
another section of each opposed him. At the election of 1857, Mr.
Augustus Hooper came out in the interest of the then Opposition, but
was beaten by Mr. Roblin. The contest in 1861 was between the same
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 403
candidates; and this time Mr. Roblin was defeated. He was a Reformer
of the Baldwin school, and while engaged in politics he spent a great
deal of time looking after the wants of his constituents; and his corre-
spondence upon public matters, which is preserved in the archives of the
Historical Society, shows that he carefully investigated the minutest
details of all transactions in which he interested himself as the repre-
sentative of the county. In the public offices which he filled he gave all
his talents to his work, and was highly respected and esteemed by all
who knew him, even by his strongest political opponents. The village
of Roblin, formerly Spencer’s Mills, was named after him.
AFreD H. Rog,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1884
Mr. Roe was born at Westport in the county of Frontenac in 1842,
and was educated at Victoria College, Cobourg. He studied law for
some time in the office of the late Judge Wilkison when he was a practi-
tioner in Napanee. Giving up the profession before he had completed
his course he went to Forest Mills and set up in business as a general
merchant, and at the same time ran a grist-mill and saw-mill. In 1873
he returned to Napanee, resumed his legal studies, and did a general
law business associated with the late E. J. Hooper. Although he never
passed the necessary examinations to entitle him to practise in the higher
courts, his knowledge of business and men and the experience he had
gained in the law office stood him in good stead, and enabled him to ren-
der good service to his clients. He was the chief mover in the organ-
ization of the Napanee Gas Company, a project that most men would
have hesitated to undertake when the natural difficulties in the way of
piping the town are considered. He frequently appeared in the Surro-
gate Court, and was a regular attendant at the Division Court circuits,
which did more business at one sittings in his time than is done now in
twelve months. He was a formidable opponent at election time, pos-
sessed good executive ability, and as a platform speaker had few equals
in the county. He was elected as a Conservative to the Legislative
Assembly in 1884; but died during the first year of his term, at the early
age of forty-two.
Davip McGrecor Rocers,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1797-1800
. David McGregor Rogers, familiarly known in his day as “Major
Rogers,” although he was not entitled to the military title, was the second
son of Major Rogers, a large landowner in the State of Vermont, where
»
*
404 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
he and his brother were officers in the Queen’s Rangers. They were en-
gaged in the French and Indian wars and, after the taking of Quebec,
Major James Rogers, the father of David, was despatched by General
Amherst to take possession of the western forts held by the French as
far west as Detroit and Michilimackinac. He afterwards went to Eng-
land, and in 1765 published a journal of his experiences in these wars,
and later published another book of general information upon the North
American colonies. He returned to Vermont and during the revolution
met the fate of most of the Loyalists by having his property destroyed
or confiscated; so, abandoning his lands, he came to Canada and settled
in Fredericksburgh, and is alleged to have built the first frame house in ~
the township, which was located on the Sherman farm on the north
shore of Hay Bay.
David resided with his father until the death of the latter about the
year 1792, when he moved to Prince Edward County to take up some
land to which he was entitled as the son of an officer. He was not
unknown in Adolphustown, which township was united at that time
with Prince Edward as one riding. He was the member for this riding
during the second Parliament; but before the next election took place
there was a redistribution of the seats and Adolphustown was attached
to the other townships of this county to be represented by one member.
By a further redistribution, in 1809, the county became entitled to two
members and so remained until the union in 1841. Rogers afterwards
moved to the township of Cramahe; but still remained in politics, sitting
as a member for twenty-six consecutive years, a figure reached by no
other member of the Parliament of Upper Canada. In his home in
Northumberland county he pursued his occupation as a farmer, was a
merchant, clerk of the peace, clerk of the district court, and registrar of
deeds. When you consider that he was also a Member of Parliament it
will be easily understood that he had very little leisure. He was a mag-
nificent type of manhood—energetic but not impetuous, strong-minded
but not tyrannical, genial but not patronizing, and shrewd but honour-
able in all his dealings.
MaTrHew RYAN,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1913
It was a happy combination of circumstances that reserved the
wardenship of the semi-centennial of the separation of the counties for
Mr. Ryan. The first three wardens of the county, John Stevenson,
Augustus Hooper, and John D. Ham were, at some period in their his-
THE NAPANEE BICYCLE CLUB, 1886.
Back row—Lett to right. Dr. G. C. T. Ward. Wm. E. Foster. A. N. Sweetman. A. R. Boyes.
Wm. C. Smith. W. J. Trimble. W. J. Normile. Archie Clark.
Front row—Left to right. Fred Roe, Wilkie Pringle. Wm. Thompson. Fred McGuin.
THE STAFF. THE NAPANEE STANDARD, 1878.
Back row—Left to right. George Burnip. Charles Ham. Guy Baker. William Davis.
James Baker. Edward Root. F. R. Yokum. James Gallagher.
Front row—Left to right. Elliot Vanalstine. Charles Allison. Sandy Melville.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 405
tory, successful merchants of the village of Newburgh, and they proved
to be three of the best wardens the county ever had. Mr. Ryan served
a portion of his apprenticeship in the same stores over which at one
time these three men exercised control, and in after years, when they
had all passed away, he succeeded them as the leading merchant of his
native village, and like them is now called upon to exercise in the
warden’s chair that same tact and executive ability which he has dis-
played in the management of his own business.
He was born in 1850, the son of Matthew Ryan, a stone-mason of
Newburgh, who could not afford to give his namesake any further start
in life than a training in the Newburgh public school. He had as
teachers Mr. John B. McGuin, and Mr. H. M. Deroche. When only
thirteen years of age he began to shift for himself as clerk in the store
of Mr. Douglas Hooper, where he continued for over four years, and
then entered the employment of Mr. John D. Ham and remained with
him until Mr. Ham retired from mercantile life. Mr. Ryan then went
to Centreville as managing clerk for Mr. James N. Lapum, member of
Parliament for Addington, whose public duties called him away from
home for weeks at a time, and being in search of a trustworthy young
man his choice fell upon the present warden.
In 1870, while yet in his minority, he formed a partnership with
Cyrus Ash, son of Dr. Ash; and the firm of Ryan & Ash was soon
advertising great bargains at the new Centreville store and continued to
maintain the good reputation for fair dealing until 1876, when the sen-
ior partner retired and returned to Newburgh with a view of going
west, when a word from his former employer completely changed his
future career. James S. Haydon had succeeded his father in business
at Camden East, and had just lost his clerk, Gilbert (now Sir Gilbert)
Parker, and was looking about for a competent managing clerk. Mr
John D. Ham recommended that he ‘secure the services of young Ryan
for whose business ability he had the greatest respect ; and in order that
the employment might be of a permanent character he suggested that
Ryan be taken into partnership. It was thus the firm of Haydon &
Ryan came into being, and the partnership which lasted for sixteen years
demonstrated the ability of Mr. Ham to measure up the two men, who,
by this happy chance, were linked together in a most prosperous busi-
ness career and united in a lasting friendship which has endured all the
trials that beset the busy man. ;
In 1892 the partnership was dissolved. Mr. Haydon retired from
mercantile life, and Mr. Ryan shortly after opened a general store in
Newburgh, where he is still engaged in business and is recognized as one
405 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
of the most extensive and prosperous merchants in the county. Although
his own affairs are such as might well command his whole attention, he
has not been deaf to the call of duty; and has cheerfully taken upon his
shoulders his full share of responsibility in the government of his native
village, in the council of which he has for many years been a leading
member. No municipality in the county has had more difficult problems
to solve than Newburgh and, thanks to the fact that the business men of
the village are not afraid to give their time and talents to the solving of
these problems, none has come through the ordeal more successfully.
Now that our county appears to be entering upon a new era in its
history, an era calling for large expenditures, we are to be congratulated
in having at the helm a man capable of following in the footsteps of the
able men which Newburgh in the past has supplied for the position now
occupied by Mr. Ryan.
Tuomas V. SEXSMITH,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1885
There is no better known family in the township of Richmond than
that of the Sexsmiths,—honest, intelligent, hard-working farmers, who
for generations have pursued their honourable calling, aiding in the
development of their native township, bearing their share of the burden
in administering its affairs, and sharing in the general prosperity they
have helped to create. To such families, content to play their part in
the rank and file of Canada’s noblest citizens, we owe more to-day than
we often concede; for all other callings and professions stand or fall as
our farmers prosper or decline.
There is no better type of this family than Thomas V. Sexsmith,
born seventy-four years ago in Richmond, where he continued to live
until three years ago, when he sold his farm and purchased another in
Ernesttown near Camden East. ‘The esteem in which he was held by
those who knew him best may be inferred from the fact that for thirty-
five years he was steward of the Methodist Church at Selby and for
thirty-eight years secretary of the school board.
For ten years he was a member of the township council, sat for six
years in the county council, and was warden of the county in 1885. He
was a great admirer of the late Sir John A Macdonald and was one of
a deputation to wait upon him and tender him the nomination of the
Conservative party of Lennox. In his own sphere and in his own
unostentatious way he has faithfully discharged the duties devolving
upon him as man and citizen.
>
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES | 407
BENJAMIN SEYMOUR, .
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Canada, 1854-64
There is a singular appropriateness about certain names, and that
of Benjamin Seymour is a striking illustration. The very name is pon-
derous; and suggests a man of substance and influence. Such a man
was the wealthy merchant and money-lender of Bath. He lived on the
north side of Main Street east of the lot upon which now stands the
Bay View Hotel, and had a general store on the corner east of his resi-
dence. He owned a great many farms in Fredericksburgh and Ernest-
town and had mortgages upon twice as many more. Although he was
wealthy, he was a man of very simple habits and denied himself many
luxuries which he could have well afforded and _ still have lived well
within his income. He was a shrewd business man; but strictly honour-
able in all his dealings, and his word in any transaction was as good as
his bond. His opinion was sought upon all public questions affecting the
welfare of the municipality, and when any proposition received the
endorsement of Benjamin Seymour it was pretty sure to be carried
through. He was for many years in public life; and after serving ten
years in the Legislative Assembly of the old Province of Canada, was
chosen a member of the Legislative Council, and at Confederation was
appointed one of the first senators of the new Dominion,
SCHUYLER SHIBLEY,
Member of the House of Commons, 1872 to 1878
Schuyler Shibley did not require to trace his ancestors very far in
order to demonstrate that there flowed in his veins the blood of men
from whom he might well be proud to be descended. There has been
but one titled class of nobility in Canada composed exclusively of Can-
adians, and that was the long list of United Empire Loyalists whose
claims were carefully investigated before their names were placed upon
the roll of honour and they were permitted to write after their names
the letters U.E.L. Any Canadian who can follow up his family history
to such a starting point is quite safe in preparing his genealogical tree
without going any further back. His grandfather on his father’s side
was John Shibley, UE.L. who settled in Ernesttown near the village
of Bath, and his mother was a daughter of Barnabas Day, U.E.L., of
the township of Kingston.
His father, Jacob Shibley, represented the county of Frontenac in
the Legislature of Upper Canada, 1834. Born in the year 1820, Schuyler
408 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
Shibley was educated at the Waterloo Academy near Kingston and
spent most of his days upon the farm in the township of Portland. In
1851-2 he made a tour of Europe, visited all the principal capitals of the
continent, and returned to his native township one of the best informed
farmers in the province. In conjunction with David Roblin, the local
member for Lennox, he speculated extensively in U.E.L. scrip, became
possessed of very large tracts of real estate, good, bad and indifferent,
and was at times reputed to be very wealthy. .
He took a prominent place among the politicians of Frontenac, and
was an independent supporter of John A. Macdonald up to the exposure
of the Pacific Railway Scandal, when he cast in his lot with the party of
Alexander Mackenzie. :
For several years he was reeve of his native township of Portland
and as such had a seat in the county council, over which he was elected
to preside as warden in the years 1868-69, and 1872. Mr. Shibley was
a man of remarkable ability who could have exercised a great influence
for good had he devoted his time and energy to the wellbeing of his
country; but he was too much engrossed in his private affairs to give
public matters first place in his consideration. He first entered federal
politics as candidate for Addington in 1867 and was defeated; but in
the general election of 1872 he was returned by a majority of 646. In
1874 he was again elected, unseated, and re-elected in the same year.
He died at his home in 1886.
Mayor HAzeELTON SPENCER,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1792-6
Hazelton Spencer came to this county in 1784 and settled near
Conway ‘in the township of Fredericksburgh upon the farm owned by
the late Henry Vandyck. He had seen considerable military ser-
vice during the Revolutionary War and was raised to the rank of major
in the Royal Canadian Volunteers, and up to the time of his death took
a deep interest in all matters connected with the defence of Canada.
Although he maintained his home upon the farm in this county, he was
for six years, from 1797 to 1803, commandant of the garrison at Kings-
ton, and during that period lived in the Government House in that town.
There were only sixteen members in the first Legislature of Upper
Canada, and three of these represented constituencies made up in part
of portions of this county. The islands along the lake front were
known as the county of Ontario, which was united with Addington as
one electoral district. Adolphustown and the county of Prince Edward
me een
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 409
formed another, and the third was composed of Lennox (except Adol-
phustown) and Hastings and Northumberland. ‘The two latter counties
were very thinly settled and played an unimportant part in the choice of
a representative. Major Spencer was the member for that district
extending from the present town of Cobourg to Napanee. At the time
of the outbreak of the American War in 1812 he was county lieutenant
of this county, an office combining the duties of our present sheriff and
county crown attorney, and he died somewhat suddenly in February,
1813, from an illness brought on by over-exertion in the discharge of his
duties as such officer.
HoNOURABLE JOHN STEVENSON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1863-4-5
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, 1867-71
Napanee has never had a better citizen than the Honourable John
Stevenson. He was always found foremost in the ranks of those who
were advocating advancement and improvements. The county rightfully
honoured him by choosing him as the first warden, and Lennox made no
mistake in electing him as her first representative in the Legislative
Assembly of the new Province of Ontario. He was the only man to serve
as warden for three terms, and no man merited the honour more than he,
for it was largely due to his untiring efforts that the separation of the
counties became an accomplished fact. The province did honour to itself
and especially to the old riding of Lennox by choosing him as the first
Speaker of the House.
It was not alone as a public servant and in the field of municipal
and provincial politics that Mr. Stevenson excelled; but in the industrial
and commercial world as well he had few equals and no superior in the
county.
The Stevensons were English, and first settled in Pennsylvania soon
after William Penn went there, the pioneer of the family being Sur-
veyor-in-Chief of the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. One
branch of the family went to New Jersey and some of its members
drifted away to Virginia. Andrew Stevenson of that State, once Speaker
of the House of Representatives and at another time Minister to the
Court of St. James, was a relative of John Stevenson. The New Jersey
branch of the family, as well as those who remained in Pennsylvania,
were staunch Quakers. Edward, the father of John Stevenson, moved
from New Jersey to the State of New York when the son, John, was
.
410 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
quite young. Later on he moved to the State of Michigan then being
developed, where he took up land and remained the balance of his life.
The son first went to Canada, settled in the county of Leeds,
received his early education in Brockville, and taught school for one
year in the country district about Maitland. In 1831 he went to Bath
and engaged himself as a clerk in the general store of Henry Lasher,
for whom he worked for five years at a salary of £20 a year. On the
death of his employer his son, John Lasher, took over the business with
Mr. Stevenson as a partner. This partnership continued until 1848,
when Mr. Stevenson opened a store in Newburgh, engaging as manag-
ing clerk the late John D. Ham, who had also served his apprenticeship
under Lasher, and who was shortly after admitted to partnership with
Mr. Stevenson, and in 1850 purchased his interest.
After disposing of his store in Newburgh John Stevenson moved to
Napanee, where he spent the remainder of his life. ‘There was scarcely
any class of business represented in the town that did not at some time
engage his attention. He was a general merchant, which in itself meant
a great deal, a lumber-man, vessel owner, ship-builder, miller, sawyer,
forwarder, and owned large tracts of real estate. He employed a large
number of men in Napanee and was a most important factor in building
up the village. In 1852 he made a contract with the government for five
years for the employment of convict labour in the Kingston Penitentiary
for the manufacture of furniture. In 1853-4 he entered into a contract
with the late David Roblin for the building of the stone piers of the
railway bridge over the Napanee River. He was for a time interested
in a contract for the employment of convict labour in the State prison’
at, Auburn, New York, For several years he and the late Cephas H.
Miller had charge of the big grist-mill in Napanee. As a justice of the
peace he was for many years the chief magistrate in the administration
of justice in the township of Richmond, his chief associate on the bench
being the late John Herring. He took a deep interest in all educational
and municipal matters. Two of his last business ventures were the
establishment of a brush factory in Napanee and a piano factory in
Kingston. He built the substantial brick residence opposite the Eng-
lish Church, which was his home for many years, and here he died in
his seventy-second year on April rst, 1884.
Two younger brothers of Mr. Stevenson attained distinction in the
political arena of the United States; one, Edward, was elected Governor
of the State of Idaho in 1885, the other, Charles, was elected Governor
of Nevada in 1887.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 411
EL1yAH STOorR,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1880
Elijah Storr was born in Selby, Yorkshire, England, in 1817, and
emigrated to Canada in 1830. His father first settled in York county,
later on moved to Prince Edward, and finally in 1840 took up land near
Lime Lake in the northern part of Richmond, which at that time was
a wilderness. Life was a hard struggle with the Storr family for years,
as there was very little return for the labour expended in clearing the
land except what was received from the merchants in Napanee in
exchange for potash. Elijah sought to better his condition by moving
nearer the front; and when the opportunity presented itself he exchanged
his farm in the rear for one at Leinster, where he lived until 1900, and
then in his eighty-fourth year retired to a quiet home near Selby, where
he spent the rest of his days.
The only education he received was at the public school before he
came to Canada; but he was gifted with good common-sense and an
intelligent appreciation of the higher aims of the patriot and true citizen.
He was a member of the council of the united counties before the sepa-
ration, and was one of the foremost champions of the rights of Lennox
and Addington in the prolonged controversy over that vexed question.
He and the late George Madole were regarded as the leading men of
their native township fifty years ago; and when they agreed upon any
subject affecting the local interests of Richmond their advice, as a rule,
was followed. He was chosen head of the county council during that
decade in its history when some of the best men this county has pro-
duced filled that honourable position; and measured by that high stan-
dard he was not found wanting. He died at Selby in the month of
December, 1906.
THOMAS SYMINGTON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1902
Mr. Symington is a canny Scotchman, so canny that he hesitated
about furnishing any data about his personal career until assured that
the writer had no sinister object in view in seeking the information.
He was born at Douglas in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1841, and came
to Canada in 1846 with his parents, who settled upon a farm in Brighton
township. He followed farming until he was thirty-three years of age,
and for the last seven years of this period pursued the calling upon his
own responsibility and was not unsuccessful. In 1874, no doubt influ-
412 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
enced in a large measure by his brother-in-law the late A. L. Morden,
Q.C., he came to Napanee and engaged in the grocery business till 1881,
when he sold out.
He had been longing to revisit the scenes of his childhood and,
freed from business cares, he availed himself of the opportunity and
spent one year in the old country. Having completed a most interesting
tour of the British Isles and the continent in company with his wife, he
returned to Napanee and built on the south side of Dundas Street a very
neat opera house which proved a great boon to the playgoing people of
the town. The old town-hall was neither comfortable nor convenient
for public entertainments; and Mr. Symington’s enterprise in providing
a suitable hall for public gatherings of all kinds was appreciated by all
classes in the community. Unfortunately the hall was burned in 1887
and was not rebuilt; but in its place arose the stores west of the Royal —
Hotel in which he again opened up a grocery.. He continued in business
for about ten years, and again retired; but idleness and he were never
on good terms, and for the past ten years he has been engaged in the
fur, seed, and evaporator business.
Mr. Symington is a well-informed man and is capable of forming
an intelligent opinion upon all subjects affecting the public welfare; and
when once he has carefully weighed the pros and cons and arrived at a
conclusion he never hesitates to express it,and in so doing is not moved
by any consideration as to the popularity of the views entertained by
him. He has been several times elected to the town council, and was
county commissioner for two terms, and warden of the county in r1go2.
In office he pursued that policy which commended itself to his judgment ;
and if the course followed by him was questioned or attacked he never
shirked the responsibility of defending his position.
TimotHy THOMPSON,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1797-1804
Timothy Thompson was one of the U. E. L. pioneers who settled
on the front of Fredericksburgh. He owned large tracts of lands in the
county and was reputed to be very wealthy. He lived in a large frame
house on the bay shore upon the farm now owned by Mr. Edward
Wright. He was a royal entertainer and kept open house for all his
friends, and his popularity among the electors was due in no small meas-
ure to the sumptuous repasts provided for all who chose to partake of
his hospitality, especialiy about election time. The memories of the
spacious dining-hall with Ensign Timothy at the head of the board laden
- 4
*
Pe
"
:
*
.
: “a
*
, .
4 aa ‘
; . Pe
s " s
! >
*sayeod uyoft ‘OSUBID)D "MA 'V *A1U9 FT *x3TV ‘svar TAG
“Aguueyy *d ‘f "U0, 3UIIOH "S “M TH “AM eyoo1aq] “We *H ‘uspiow “T “V "21ND “[ 'D
“SoTYSV “S ‘V “TIEXOD “MA ‘udnig “d “1 ‘uojaiduia, “A PNB “A 'H “AIU2aH *S *L “raysqam “f
€68!1 O1 0681 ‘SSNVdVN—NOILVONGA JO AHVOS SHL JO SHASEWAW
.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 413
with the best his well-stocked larder could produce, and the steaming
trenchers borne upon the heads of the negro slaves, all had their effect
upon election day. He succeeded Hazelton Spencer as the representa-
tive in the second Legislature for the district composed of Lennox (ex-
cept Adolphustown) and Hastings and Northumberland, and. again in
the third and sixth Legislatures after there had been a redistribution of
the seats, and Lennox and Addington had been united as one electoral
district.
James THOMSON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1896
James Thomson was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1832, and
died at his home in Newburgh in 1902. His father was a paper manu-
facturer, and his sons, James and John, both served their apprentice-
ship of seven years in the mill of their father before they were discharged
as masters of the art. When about twenty-two years of age James
came to America, and secured a position as manager of a mill in Tren-
ton, New Jersey.
In the year 1875 he came to Canada with a view of going into part-
nership with William Rooklidge and his brother John in the town of
Gananoque, under the firm name of Rooklidge, Thomson & Co. A
business was already established at this town under the management of
his brother John, who was the only one connected with the concern who
understood the secret process of treating the wood pulp to produce from
it the grades of paper required for the market; and the main object of
introducing the other Thomson into the firm was to have another experi-
enced manager to fall back on in case John Thomson’s services should
not at all times be available. For business reasons Newburgh was con-
sidered a more desirable site for the plant than Gananoque, so the first
mills were erected on the Napanee River. After the first year John
stepped out of the firm and assumed the management of a new plant at
Strathcona. -
Two years later Rooklidge and James Thomson dissolved partner-
ship, and a new company, composed principally of Napanee capitalists,
was organized and took over the business, retaining Mr. James ‘Thom-
son as manager. The brothers continued at their respective posts for
two years, when they severed their connection with the mills they were
managing, formed a new partnership themselves, and built the large
mill near Camden East; and the small village which sprang into being
was thereafter known as Thomsonville. (It is now one hundred years
414 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
since that power was first utilized by John Gibbard, who built a saw-
mill there during the war of 1812. He was the father of John Gibbard,
the founder of the Gibbard Furniture Factory of Napanee.) For six
years the brothers carried on a successful business, when John retired
from the firm to make way for the sons of his brother James who him-
self withdrew from the partnership in 1900, to enjoy for the remainder
of his days that rest which he so justly merited.
As a man of business, as a neighbour, friend, citizen, and public
official one always knew where to find James Thomson. He conscien-
tiously did what he conceived to be his duty and was never influenced
by any motive that did not appeal to him as honourable. He was always
open to conviction and weighed carefully every proposition submitted
to him; and when he had mapped out his course he pursued it with
firmness and determination; yet he was not arbitrary, but conceded to
all men the same right to think and act for themselves. He was
respected by all who knew him, and loved by those who knew him best,
especially by his own employees.
PETER VANALSTINE,
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, 1793-6
Many references have already been made in these pages to Major
Peter Vanalstine. He was of Dutch descent and declared it in his build,
complexion, and speech, for he was in every respect a typical Dutch-
man. He was the leader of the first company of Loyalists who landed in
Adolphustown, and might properly be denominated the pioneer of the
pioneers. He brought with him a number of negro slaves; and, so far
as life in the wilderness offered the opportunity, he lived in grand style,
and was never happier than when entertaining his friends to a sumptu-
ous dinner. He was a rollicking good-natured companion, a striking
contrast to his sedate neighbour, Phillip Dorland, who declined to take
the oath of office as a member of the Legislative Assembly.
When the new election was held the major was returned as the
first member to sit in the Assembly for Adolphustown and Prince
Edward. He was a justice of the peace, and his name frequently
appears in the records of the sessions as one of the members of that
administrative and judicial body. He lived on the peninsula west of
Adolphustown village and built on the opposite shore at Glenora the
first grist-mill in Prince Edward county. He died in 1811, and was
buried in the U. E. L. burying-ground at Adolphustown. |
OO ——— eee
YF a lei
> cm
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 415
SmNEY WARNER,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1867-8
John Stevenson, John D. Ham, and Sidney Warner were the only
men who were honoured by being chosen to act as warden for a second
term, and none were more worthy of the honour than they. They were
all broad-minded men who had a thorough knowledge of the needs of
the county: they had all participated in the long fight over the separation
from Frontenac, and were best qualified to conduct the affairs of the
new municipality of Lennox and Addington. Mr. Stevenson was
opposed to the other two during that bitter struggle; but all were prac-
tically agreed upon the wisdom of the proposed separation, and differed
only upon the question of the county town, each being influenced by
local interests: but, when the separation became an accomplished fact,
they forgot their former differences and worked in harmony for the
wellbeing of the whole county.
To these three men the county owes much. At no time since 1863
has there been in the council so strong a trio as these three merchants,
who for the first six years of the county’s history so managed its affairs,
with the assistance of many other able councillors, among whom might
be specially mentioned J. J. Watson, William Miller, and Ebenezer
Perry, that in reading to-day the minutes of the early sessions one is
staggered with the amount of work performed, the financial problems
solved, and the remarkable business ability displayed throughout it all.
It was no easy matter to adjust the liabilities of the united counties so
that each should assume its just proportion. New offices were created
in Lennox and Addington, new buildings had to be erected, sites selected,
plans and specifications prepared, contracts let, and money raised to meet
the obligations. It was in a crisis like this that the services of a Sidney
Warner were needed, as among his other admirable qualities he was a
thorough business man whose integrity was never challenged.
His father, Stephen Warner, lived near Saratoga in the State of
New York, where Sidney, the eldest child, was born. He was a farmer,
and attracted by the good reports of the Loyalists in Canada left his
American home in 1812, came to South Fredericksburgh, and lived a
few years on lot number eighteen in the third concession. For a time
he endeavoured to add to the slender revenue of the farm by setting up
a small distillery. He shifted about from one place to another and fin-
ally settled down in the seventh concession of Ernesttown.
In 1828 Sidney, a young man just turning twenty-one, displayed
his commercial instinct by starting a small store in Ernesttown about two
416 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
miles from Simmon’s Mills. This store he continued to operate for
eight years, then shifted it over'to the Mills, and opened up on a larger
scale. His influence began to be felt; and for the next fifty years Sid-
ney Warner’s store was famous for miles around. He soon applied for
and obtained a post-office and himself became the first postmaster, and
upon being requested to select a name for the new office he chose the
name Wilton. He was a justice of the peace and in him the title was
well exemplified, as he invariably induced the would-be litigants, if they
were at all amenable to reason, to settle their differences amicably, shake
hands, and be friends. His name became a synonym for honour, hon-
esty, and uprightness in all things. No man in Lennox and Addington
had more extensive dealings with the public and was brought in closer
touch with the people through his store and as a money-lender, but the
man is yet to be found to say an unkind word about him.
He was for many years in the old district council and for nineteen
years was a member of the Ernesttown council. During this period he
was fourteen years reeve, four years deputy-reeve, and one year only a
simple member of the board.
Mr. Warner was generous to the poor, and although he controlled,
more mortgages upon the farms of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington
than any other single individual he was never known to eject a mortgagor
from his premises.
In this respect his son, Harvey Warner, who inherited the greater
part of his fortune and most of his good qualities, has followed closely
in his footsteps. Many a poor man and woman could testify to his num-
erous unostentatious acts of charity, and the church to which he belongs
has especial cause to be grateful for his liberal donations; the Napanee
Public Library and the Harvey Warner Park are evidences of his tender
regard for the welfare and happiness of the general public. Although
now approaching fourscore years, he, unlike his father, has never filled
any public office and would never allow his name to be placed in nomina-
tion for positions of trust and honour, which would have been his, no
doubt without opposition, if he could have seen his way clear to accept
them. ‘
Sidney Warner died on his eightieth birthday on July 12th, 1886,
and was buried in the family plot at Wilton.
G. A. WARTMAN,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1912
Michael Grass, the ‘pioneer of the Loyalists, whose adventures are
recounted in Chapter II, was the great-grandfather of Mr. G. A. Wart-
*Aydiny ydesof ‘yysiuy opne[Q ‘uoysUYyOf qyOy “YIL[Q UIMpR[N, ‘AdIOYG BB10aNyV ‘UlTYSNe TI werypi~A, ‘ABMUOD [[PMpig "WSL 0} YOT—MOI JUOIT
"u0jeD JOYeAA “Oye ysoqny, ‘asdvavg asioaxy, ‘aojeq] ssoy Dy WW ‘Agjsuq Joyeay ‘Areq purjoy ‘snuregoyy uyof *3YS11 0} Yo"T—MOY [pp
‘uoseapy Ae ‘WOyNG plore, ‘uozjdwmay ‘up, “ONO ydesof ‘ounsfeue, ysog ‘uojso1g AlIeyY ‘JOSE, OONIG ‘UOSJOpUYy ysouIq «*3Y.311 OJ YoT—MO1 YOR
‘S06l *‘SWV3L T1VEL004S “ALNLILSNI 3LVISS11090 S3SNVdVN
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 417
man, who is the son of John Wartman, and the grandson of Peter
Grass, U. E. L. He was born at Selby in 1854. While yet a mere lad
his parents removed to the lake shore road near Portsmouth, where he
attended the common school, grew into manhood, and followed the occu-
pation of a farmer not far from the very place where his great-grand-
father had helped to hew out a home in the forest over a hundred years
ago. Fifteen years ago he moved to Bath and engaged in the coal and
grain business, which he still carries on. He soon identified himself
with the municipal affairs of the village, has been seven times elected
head of the council, and has proven himself to be a careful and pains-
taking official.
J. J. Watson,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1870
It would have been surprising indeed if J. J. Watson had not been
a loyal public-spirited citizen, for he was descended from parents who
knew what it was to fight and suffer for the flag under whose folds
they sought repose in the days of peace. His father was born in Eng-
land, and at eighteen years of age joined the navy, and served upon one
of His Majesty’s ships engaged in the suppression of the slave traffic
-on the coast of Guinea. Owing to ill-health he came to Canada, and
in the war of 1812 joined the colonial forces and was wounded at the
battle of Lundy’s Lane. He afterwards settled in Adolphustown, was
appointed in 1816 the first postmaster in the township, and married a
daughter of Captain Allen, the fighting Quaker, who was among the
first to land at Adolphustown with Major Vanalstine in 1784.
Mr. Watson was born in 1816 and received the best education that
the province could at that time afford. Among his school companions
was the late Sir John A. Macdonald for whom he naturally entertained
feelings of the strongest friendship and admiration. During the rebel-
lion of 1837 he served with the volunteers at Kingston, was gazetted as
captain in 1869, and was afterwards tendered the command of a regi-
ment, which he declined. He never paraded his military title, but was
more generally known as plain J. J. Watson.
For nine years he was local superintendent of schools, and his prac-
tical suggestions regarding educational matters were so highly esteemed
by Dr. Ryerson that they were embodied in the departmental publications
issued by him. He was postmaster for thirty-nine years, and served
many terms in the county council both before and after the separation of
the county. Shoulder to shoulder with the Honourable John Stevenson
27
~
418 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
he braved the storm and smoke of battle, and when the victory was won
he and Sidney Warner, John D, Ham, Ebenezer Perry, and others began
the constructive work of the new municipality and justly earned the
title of Fathers of Lennox and Addington. In 1870 he was chosen
warden and proved to be a very active one, and was credited by his fel-
low members of the council as having displayed marked skill and ability
in the discharge of his duties.
Above all things else Mr. Watson was a Loyalist, and as such was a
prime mover in the U. E. L. celebration of 1884, and with his counsel
and purse did much to ensure the success of that epoch-marking event
in the history of our province. ‘The two poplar trees standing in front’
of the Memorial Church were planted by him eighty years ago, and he
intended building his own dwelling upon that lot; but donated it to the
church instead. ‘The Rector of the parish now resides in the house in
which he was born.
Ur1AH WILSON,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1882
Member of House of Commons, 1887, and 1892-1911
It has fallen to the lot of few men in the Province of Ontario and
of none in the county of Lennox and Addington to receive at the hands
of his fellow-citizens the public honours that have been awarded to Mr.
Uriah Wilson, who for ten years was a member of the council of
Napanee and for twenty-three years represented his native county in
the House of Commons. ‘That he has attained this distinction is due to
his own eneregy and force of character, as he started out in life the
third member of a family of six children whose father died when Uriah
was but twelve years of age. He was born in North Fredericksburgh in
1841 on what was known as the Macdonald farm a few miles from
town, lying north of the York Road. There he lived until he was eight
years of age, when his father, a stone-mason, moved to Napanee and
lived in a house upon an alley way in the rear of where the Paisley
House now stands. While other boys of his years were attending school
the subject of our sketch was denied that privilege and helped his father
at his trade. His father died in 1853, leaving the widowed mother
dependent upon the young children for her support.
Napanee at the time was an important lumber centre from which
were shipped the products of the numerous saw-mills up the river; and
the young lad who was in after years to sit in the most important legis-
lative body in the British Dominions beyond the Seas found employ-
Oe Ss —
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 419
ment upon the docks. At that early date he gave promise of that thrift
which afterwards made him one of the leading merchants of the town by
carrying his weekly earnings to his mother to assist in the maintenance
of the family. As the family grew up and were better able to shift for
themselves he was apprenticed to a shoemaker, Benoni Briggs by name,
and worked on the bench four years, when he was pronounced a master
of the trade. Factory boots and shoes were little worn at the time, and
Mr. Wilson set up in business for himself; and it was not long before
the young man who had started out in life by carrying a hod for his
father was the head of a busy shoe shop which turned out a quality of
footwear excelled by none in the country. His brother John was taken
into the business, and as Wilson & Bro., they have won their place
among the leading merchants of the district.
Mr. Wilson’s capacity for mastering the details of any undertaking
he had in hand singled him out as a candidate for municipal honours,
and for ten years he was a member of the town council, having been
elected five times by acclamation. He passed through the various stages
from councillor to mayor, and in 1883 was chosen warden of the county.
In 1887 he was elected to Parliament as a straight Conservative; and
through the varying changes in parties and policies he continued, with
the exception of one session, the representative of his native county until
1911, when he retired from the political arena. As a member of the
House he made a special study of the immigration problem, and while
in opposition the severest criticisms of the policy of the government
were from the Honourable member from Lennox. Mr. Wilson has
taken a deep interest in all matters affecting the welfare of his native
town and county, and has given freely of his time, talents, and means to
encourage and assist every worthy cause which was in need of support.
Among his other generous acts he contributed to the town the land upon
which the public library stands.
_ Nar P. Woop,
Warden of Lennox and Addington, 1883
Mr. Wood is now enjoying the twilight of life in the city of
Kingston, where he has resided since 1885. He is a son of the late Jacob
Wood, and was born in 1841 on the shore of the Bay of Quinte below
Bath. He remained at home with his father until he had attained his
majority, when he married and commenced farming for himself on lot
number twenty in the third concession of Ernesttown, where he con-
tinued to reside until he moved to the city.
420 HISTORY OF LENNOX AND ADDINGTON
He is a man who looks upon the bright side of all things in life,
keeps a watchful eye upon what is going on about him, yet meddles with
no matters in which he is not personally concerned, and was consid-
ered, by the electors to be just the type of man who could safely be in-
trusted with the business affairs of the township. He accordingly was
first placed in nomination in 1873, and with little effort upon his part
sat in the council for eleven consecutive years. The duties of councillor
are not very onerous in Ernesttown as the path was well blazed by such
men as Sidney Warner and Phillip D. Booth, so that their successors
have little to do but meet once a month in Odessa, go through the routine
of business generally outlined in advance by an intelligent clerk, partake
of a good dinner at Sproule’s Hotel, and return home. Mr. Wood
discharged all of these duties satisfactorily; and in 1883 was chosen
warden, after which he retired from public life, and two years later
sought a change from the peaceful quiet of the farm to the more stirring
bustle of the city.
INDEX
PAGE
A
Abinger Township ............... 65
Adamson, Rey. Wagar .......... 191
Addington Hoad 20.0. 6.6.06 oa 335
Adolphustown, Minute book of 59,
Important centre 61, Auction sale
at 82, Contest between Adolphus-
town and Marysburg 136, First
survey 137, Origin of name 137,
Dispute over boundary 139, First
town meeting 140, First regular
court 142, Court House built 142,
Legal centre 154, Stage road
through 156.
Agricultural Society Grounds .... 254°
PURGE. TOs SOMME Si, os «vin kee 231
SeMON POMMEN§ e's <5 krrtS wea eke ee 99
moon, ‘Crete Ry coe eee 350
aE a eee ee 143, 348
oe ee pene ay Pee ee, On 60
Amherst Island granted to La Salle
12, Changes in ownership 180,
Settlement of 100, Churches of
191, Schools 194, Fishing 105,
Ship-building 195, Militia 197,
Daniel Fowler 199.
Anglesea Township .............. 335
Msg CTOmOeD ois encase css 65, 335
J a EO ae Face 343
Aylesworth, Sir Allan .......... 206
Aylesworth, Bowen E. ............ 350
Aylesworth, Geo. Anson ......... 286
Aylesworth, Isaac Brock ..... 288, 207
Ayleaworth, John 22.06 ove cctane. 175
B
Babcock, Wesley and John ...... 175
Baker, Henry Allen ............. 351
Pali Rover’ = «Sis oes Sek 64
Ballyhack eee ee ee reser serersssees . 328
Banks of Lennox: and Addington . 255
i ad o.4aye ,
PAGE
Barker, Dawid iieccedy seve iev en 141
Barker, Dr. Eo Jo cvs a eves sess 303
Baas. COVG seiner ties ci cd poh ani 138
Bates, Roger, testimonial of ..... 34, 73
Bath, Bath Academy 100, Commer-
cial centre 154, First court at 155,
Military centre 159, First steam-
boat built at 160, Description of
166, Merchants of 1609, Cricket —
match 251, Described in The Bee
271.
on es ae eee 205
bell. Rasen 54's nro: op ake cat 60
Bee, ‘The Napanee i330 %s caedexs 270
Beeman, Cephas I. -.......++. 280, 209
Beeman, Gi OME | ve set ia toendte 275, 280
MeGmeS Me 155635. celucaee dpe 302
Bees, Logging 32, Husking 46,
Quilting and paring 47.
BOGVES, | Fas sxc ks aed cela nis 280, 206
Bell Job” Wei 4520, Sore ennce see 352
Bell, William Alexander ......... 352
Bell, Wa. o3 sacks cceus aes 77, 120
Belthouse,- W. Asi Ge vnies f70he2 251, 260
Renee ie WE yaad pada cer set's 311
Benson, Garett ~ beg vans ees eeds 60
Bens, Jobe. ortass ah. cre xasa’s 278
ae | a ee Bris 222
Bidwell, Barnabas ........... 100, 353
Bidwell, Marshall Spring .........
AE ee ie ieee Enea 100, 188, 280, 354
rs ME aves a tne aeuwe x 127
Rn MESES a> Sey Os oe wid cio cea 288
a SM 8 0 reer 356
MRR FORME ne tala sees Ke thtd katte 176
Bee: BM is Fi oko Satu obats 276
Bogart; Gilbert) ois) .u. 65.5 A 235
eres BP ya a ew snc Bhehceee 143
hg SO EE Ce reer 357
og DE, SEE eet rere eae 177
Ve Oe ee ae 176
RI | SAAB Nab eG ce otis a acai lse 30, 358
Booth, ND TES Sas i rns os Kalgin 0 359
422 INDEX
PAGE
ROOTEE: © POM) pee alse eels es egos 184 |. Checkley, E. R.
Bowers, Adam ......--.++-see+> 284
Bristol, Peter, reminiscences of .. 184
British North American Bank .... 260
British North American Newspaper 298
Bryden, James ...-+.---.eeeeeees 359
Burrows, Frederick ....-.....-+-- 133
Burrows, John Joseph, Judge ...-- 71
C
Canniff, Dr. William ....-.--.... 143
Camden, Early settlers 283, Strath-
cona 284, Newburgh 286, Centre-
ville 300, Camden East 303,
Yarker 309, Colebrook 317, Mos-
cow 319, Enterprise 321.
Cainden > Bast: (od5 a-tge nceoiens as 303
Campbell, Alexander 209, 234, 258, 273
Campbell, Joha ..c. ine. si. ss. 205
‘Camp-meeting, first ++.....05.+.+5 148
Gard, Jethro, 54 fees eae Ss ent 45 323
Carleton, William. «... 601.0205 177
Carscallen, Dr. A. B. ...--....-- 323
Carscallen, A. B,. «+es.e0ses teres 326
Carscallen, John C. ....-.+---.-- 360
Carscallen; PP. By... es. nes cares 326
Carscallen, Thos. G. ......-+---- 360
Carsnt: JOR <i> 2p ks. ee per 362
Cartwright, Rev. Conway E. ...-- 192
- Cartwright, J. S. ...--64, 157, 187, 362
Cartwright, Hon. Richard, Member
of Land Board 30, Purchases
grist-mill at Napanee 41, Mem-
ber of Quarter Sessions 55, Trial
of McCarty 163, Secures Wm.
Grange’s services 221; 258, 365.
Cartwright, Sir R. J. ...--.--..--
Sis ve Sebo Io pnne dae Vator 55, 143, 258, 259, 277
Carman, Ji W. «+ --5.sseesbsiees 275
atinan Sos cae va valet tweets ate 277
Case, Revi; Wo - sees se sane 148, 164
Casey, Samuel .......... I4I, 145, 366
Casey, Thomas W. .-136, 278, 280, 281
Casey, Willett .<seros i545 61, 145, 366
Caslost.. She cous staan a abaton se 280
Cayuga Indians, Settlement at Kenté 5
Cedar Lake settlement ......-... 344
KoetrirPvtlle Tistkk wh ofere aioe ba nate oes 300
Chadwick, Charles «2.2.0.2. +0245 320
Chamberlain, Dr. Thomas ..... 52, 173
Champlain’s route in the County .
Lee er ees Pe ye Bk Se
eee eee
Cheese Factories, first .......:... 170
Christie, Mrs. :Annie ......+-.\5.. 201
Christie, Rev. J. Ji «+.s<ewcesens 4Q2
Clark, John C. ......5.05, 97, 107, 113
Clark, Matthew «..0s 0.000 cde se 367
Clatk Robert’ Aasxanenee 41, 164, 210
Clark; Samuel © 22 isGoxepe ener 255, 303
Clark, . Walter 15:10 sassaeeutes re ae
Clacks Mills. sc ssca tin vost ere 303
Clark settlement .............+:. 73
Clatkvalle,.5<. aajispamenee 183, 187, 212
Clancy, Thomas, < +s... 5455s sovuwes 323
Clergymen of Napanee ........-. 263
Colebrook | 54.45 45% Ss snap epeneeee 316
Connolly,. Joseph. 54.4... <cseneette 311
Connplly, J. Ci os +4 gineas eaten eaele 315
Comber, Jacob... daais vem aaa oe eet 175
Commercial Bank .-..........+-. 250
Cook, Samuel’ Fy Gis cence ke neaee 285
Corson, Rev. Robert «......... 264, 320
Cox, Col. Robert spar tsi th as ears 322
County Court Clerks ........ ieee
County Court Judges .......--. 71, 72
County Crown Attorneys ........ 72
Court of Requests ............-- 59
Cronk: (Asa o«-<ises weca eee - 331
Crotch Lake, Comat encamped
NEAT 3.4 0s:459 segs Os Broan iene 5
Cricket - Club.....5san “eke ean 251
Call, James oicss eran area 157, 204
Cumberland, Rev. James ...... 193, 197
Curling. Clab. uo cise heckaeinees 251
D
Davern, Richard and Daniel ...... 146
Davis, “Ac CS iwc Wnudeee saps 224, 237
Davis: Jamies On. eiicia sean’ 206
Davy, Benjamin C. ......-+.-+--:
+169, 229, 230, 235, 250, 272, 273, 276
Dawson, George W. W. ...--.--- 367
Declaration of Independence, How
brought about 20, Not spontan-
eous act of delegates 21.
Denbigh Township ..........-. 65, 335
Denison, George ....+-..--+++- re
Denison, Robert .....-.--+se+ee- 368 |
Depew, Dr. ...++-++eeeeeeeeeeeee 170
Deroche, H. M., County pene At
TOPNEY 24.0 one oiereisisns
Deroche, W. P., County Court Clerk
Detlor, George | HL. os ty ra ee
’
‘
i
‘
=
2
aie
Devine, Rev. J. A. -++eeeeeeeeee 215
Dixon, Rev. J Ed hen een 192
Doller, W. N. --.----++ee8+: 254, 370
Donoghue, Rev. Father .....-+++ 104
Dominion Bank ......++.-+eeeee> 260
Dorland, Phillip ....-...-. 61, 139, 145
Dorland, Thomas ...-139, 141, 145, 37!
Drewry, J. Ci essccrsesesvscsecs 278
Dundas Street, first macadamized
TOR) csv ask dt Cee eman wees ace 157
Dunham, E. A. ......-seeeeeeeees 275
E
Echo Newspaper ...---++-+++eeees 331
Edgar, Cyrus ......0+.-seeseeees 372
Effingham Township .......--- 65, 335
Emporium, The Napanee ...--..-- 273
Emsley, Rev. W. H. .«....---+---- 263
BGMerPrise, Cons cose eecs senate tes 321
MEOND i o's 0 son 4 pe ee OO ERS 333
Ernesttown,—Origin of name 152,
First settled 152, Village of 154,
First chapel in 163, First cheese
factories 170.
Ernesttown Academy ...--..-+-++ 101
Express, The Weekly ....-.--..-- 277
F
Fairfield, Benjamin ..........--+. 373
Fairheld, Wm: 3. <- iiscsccwetcens 373
Fenelon, Father, appointed to
Kenté Mission 6, Establishes out-
posts 7, Suffers from famine
9, Differences with Governor, Re-
call and death 9.
Perquson, Rev. «+6006 ..csvtscvece 193
Fes EE OO SAN OS As, Pe ee 217
Fister Rati tic oa ta aes 373
Finkle, lp ere CL ey to oe 159, 168
ye OO eee ae 159
Se eee 161
Fisher, Alex. ...--. 30, 56, 62, 141, 222
eT NASON & gho's tars aw Fe Wicae coed ss 206
Se Ee eee eee 138
Forward, Henry .......--.--. 187, 237
Fouter,, Josepha as os ss vive F400 Fe. 320
eS ee eee 199
Fowler, Reginald A. .-......-+... 374
Fralick, fe ee Eh eee caer 172, 204
Fraser; Tsaae. 2. oi. <).05.: 59, 167, 375
ae baa
Fredéricksburgh . . 182
Fredericksburgh, Additional ....130, 182 |
eer Bank - Beene eens 255
a ‘* je mes ‘ ot ae
i 7 cr 7 i
a a
ee ee ,- hs ad
French Civil Code abolished
Frontenac County,—Agitation for
separation from Lennox and Ad-
dington begun 69, Finally accom-
plished 70, Purchase of York
road 158.
Frontenac, Governor—Visits Catar-
CT iO eee ere 4 CIOL II
Frontenac Steamer .........--... 160
G
Gaxtney,: Pattich <0 ios vee cece sess 332
Gallagher, Lo Loves eden eo eecsies 375"
Gallagher’s Corners ......++.++.. 205
Ganneious tiie in aeceeey eae 7, 8, 208
Garret, A. D. W. & Co. .......-. 285
Geography—How taught in early
MOUSE: Nea) Ric nook Sale wrens 106
German immigrants ........-. 342, 346
Gibbard, John .......... 215, 239, 266
Gihede,. ‘Stenbieal: i640 ks isc eaa ccs ss 254
Gildersleeve, Henry ..-........... 160
Gilmour, Smith 2... ¢ce essences 376
Givens, Rev. Saltern ......... 262, 303
Gordanier, Tavern ..........-..- 173
Gordon, George Sinclair ......... 305
Gordon, John «2.0.00 2c.eenstugees 316
OnTIay. FORTE axes sveecetevcuss 101
Graham, Robert... 050325 e055 ss 322
Grange, Dr. James? «28s vadiede ees 215
Grange. John “Ty xs 2 os6 005 pet oss 377
Grange, Wists sc coins ¥eeet Vaan os 221
Grass, Michael,—Persecution of 25,
Recommends shores of Bay of
Quinte for settlement of Loyal-
ists 26, Conducts Loyalists to 27.
Greenleaf, Rev. G. D. .... 270, 273, 280
CGHBISOINE, LATINAS 5 c0 kien eyes ts os 08
ee
Hagerman, Christopher ....... 144, 145
Hagerman, Daniel ............ 144, 145
Hagerman, Nicholas . -139, 141, 143, 144
Haight, Canniff—Relates exper- -
iences of Loyalists in the “Hun-
on aoe {oo a Re ee eee 39
aoe. Gere 82
CLS! ta SB | Ee = ear Sie 218, 285
tg Te a. ee eee 285
REIN BERET ak wa Ftv od ore Sea ug AX 378
Ham, John ...+...0...ceeeeceees 378
424
INDEX
PAGE
Hay Bay 138, Drowning accident. 148 | Lapum, James N. ............ 301, 385 ~
FRRVGOH, TAMOBS, cece cee ee 305, 3097 | Lane, J. :S. axcsa0.vesemenseeeme 345
ELACTISON ee es eo as ayaa 63 | Langhorn, Rev. John ....165, 168, 101
Hawley, George Douglas ...... 72, 381 | La Salle, Dealings with Seigniory
Fienry, Alex. -...... 218, 274, 285, 314 at Lachine 10, Selects site for
Henry, Thos. S. ....212, 215, 218, 274 Fort Frontenac 11, Obtains grant
Premzy, William .........0.0.5 175, 177 of land on Bay of Quinte 12,
BeETTInS, JOHN. 2 insane sii eho 216, 235 189, Pursues his explorations 13,
Meee: Jobt: isveicha nas aaa skies 382 Dies in Texas 13.
Holland, Major Samuel .......-.. 137 | Lauder, Rev. Dr, "sheep me 258
Hollandvilie, First name of Adol- Lawyers Heaven-born 144, of Nap-
phustown. Villageets. ..0< ests 137 anee 230.
Hooper, Augustus.151, 223, 277, 292, 382 | Ledger Lennox and Addington .. 279
Hosset Be 3. ware oss oe 230, 384 | Lee, Colonel Anson ..... steeds 5 180, 250
Hooper: E.davund ..'0 0s. <2 sidatees 383 | Lennox, first spelled Lenox ...... 57
Hope, Robert F. .-..........- 292, 203. | Leonard, Dr, R. A. os cuisew ese 235
“Fave, iba) Tht ands i Wa Sense eee 179°| Lewin, Revi Wat... . cssacsor ++ 205
FlGvee Caaper. shee x Gate ec sd x 6 tae 143°]: Little’ (Cove: al.scs.455-u renee 138
Fuk. Paid <cns wee hoes 6o, 142, 147, | Lindsay, Rev. J. His is sien sles ee ea 192
Huffman settlement «..... 2.6.66... 319 Link, JOT SS ais Orage ott cee 175, 176
Huffman, Elias .-.... BE, het gs Fass 2045) LAverpool,.).\. cus a's'k uke ep see eee 203
Platiman, Terie: 26s cavities 204.1, Lochhead, J.) S..°95.eseeus+s se 301, 302
Huffman, Jacob and Elijah.204, 255, 319 | Lockwood, Isaac J. .......... 293, 304
ep NE ee ORR ate ee ae 244 | Lockwood, Joshua B. ......... 255, 304
PMY, YOON S25 25 2 o0.0t3 054 50 ves 39 | Lioyd,. Benjamin «Cy ..%.; icieees 387
Pieek, GHA = fake cies v oS eer 61 | Long Lake, Champlain encamped
ORL 4--Seuhian sna Sa Poe een 5
I Losee, Rev. Wm. ......-- 142, 146, 147
Index Newspaper .....--....-00. 206 ee aie 3 : es Pantry t 38>
Indians.—Not the permanent home Lucas, Rev. 8. Of oe ae 143
: r eee epg a8 by Lutheran “Church ...<)ceerocn 183
rance 8, Ensnared at Cataraqui =| [vons School Teacher ..<........ MA
14, Followed Bay of Quinte route RCH SEES sa eeenee -
15, Relics collected by Walter M
Clark 15.
J Macdonald, Sir John A. ...99, 213, 388
: MacLennan, Rev. Alex.
gokneoa,* Sir. Joka = 75+5+, 27, 152, 189 | MacNab, Sir Allen ....-..-
Johnson, Sir William ............ 189 Macsk ; All
; pherson, ae aaa
Justices of the Peace .......... 55; OO) Pines 200, ‘210, 212, 222, 235, 273
K McCarty, James or Charles Justin
4 g/d web ee ba eta ace oem 147, 161
Malader Township: <<). -.96. 0s 335 | McCurdy, Rev. Daniel .........-. 192
OL TED S the: ace Se aera meee aoe 384 | McDonnell, Archibald ...... 30, 55, 163
SAT, PPOUETION fox onest sant 0 ves 174. |. McDowell; Rey.’ Mr. 2. tseeeese ss 268
ROUMIE spre State dk ny! ee doe sng atdgteeh = | McGuin, John Bell, County Court
Kingston, Site of, selected for Fort Clarke). cits SA regina tee eee 72
Frontenac 11, Emigrant’s Guide’s MeGuiness,: Arthin” voce oan 143
comments on 44, First school 97. McIntosh, Rev. James .......-.... 193
McKay,” (Joni x4 2559 sate wea eed 180
L McKay, Rev. W. A. ---++++++++++ 120
Tania, Roberk (ives yccs ees Wed ey 117 | McLaughlin E. ..... rr ef 4 es
Lapum, Edwin Smith ...... eee tn 386 | McLean, Allen .....
isd 3
or
- .
INDEX ? 425
PAGE PAGE
McLean, Neil .......---sse0es 55, 163 in 1861, 241, Diversions and re-
McLeise, Rev. ....6.-+eeeseceens 192 creations of 248, Fenian invasion
McMahon, Rev. Father .....----- 194 248, Sporting clubs 251, Parks
McMullen, George W. ..------+-- 209 254, Banks 255, Churches 262,
McNeil, Archie .....-..-- 209, 213, 224 Newspapers 270.
McRae, Daniel .......+-+-++-+05 177 | Napanee Mills .....-..-.s-sesee: 285
McWilliams, Rev. Father ...--.--- 194 | Neilson, Dr. Samuel .-..-.++.++- 173
Madawaska River ...--....+++e+- 338 \ Neilson, Judge Joseph ...--..- 173, 356
Madden, James H. Judge ......--. 71 | Nelles, Dr. ---.++-s+++ee- 289, 203, 295
Mahoney, Richard ....-..-++++++: 333 | Nesbitt, D. A. «-...eeeeeeeee 133, 205
Mallory, Elisha ......--.--+++++++ 344 | Newburgh ......ecccesscccvecies 286
Martin, W. A. .-.--ceveeseceeees 380 | Newburgh Academy ...----.--..- 2890
Massenoga Lake -......++.++. 337, 338 | Newburgh Reporter, Newspaper .. 200
Maxwell, Henry Percival .......-. 190 | Newburgh Merchants ...-........ 209
Maxwell, Major R. J. ..---.---- 190 | Newman, Charles ....-.-+.-++-++: 343
Maybee, Abraham .......-..-.++- 61 | Newspapers of Napanee 270, of
Meacham, W. W. <2... cescseoes 390 Newburgh 206, of Tamworth 331.
Mecklenburgh,—District created .. 29 | Northern Crown Bank .....-.... 261
Merchants Bank ....-.++-.+++0+: 250 | Noxon, James ...--++eeeeereeees 150
Methodists stronghold of 145,—
First chapel in Adolphustown Oo
147, First chapel in Ernesttown Oates Wink sai dds nsaavigncs 278
163, Separation from United Odessa 175, Merchants of 179.
States conference 164, Few on O'Loughlin, Rev. Anthony J. .... 314
Amherst Island 193, Churches in O'Loughlin, B.S) 5. icvvcscctset 315
Napanee 262. Ontario County «2.205. p2s0cceets 58
Midland District, Mecklenburgh Oronhyateka, Dr, ....-+++++++0++s 232
changed to Midland ......--.. 59
Miller, George ....-...+--00> 311, 313 P
Miller, Rev. Gilbert ............. 329 | Pappa, I. F. and W. J. ....+.--. 200
Miller, John S, ...--.--+.eeeees 302, 390 | Parker, Sir Gilbert .......... 292, 307
Miller, Wm. ....----+--- 224, 254, 391 | Parks of Napanee ....-.....++-- 254
Moutray, W. H. ..---.+eee seer eee 198] Parrott: Jamed « sewiesdwiasan'n ones 164
Morden, A. L.—County Crown At- Patterson, Robert .........-..++0: 302
tOrney -----+++eeeee 72, 143, 218, 231 | Paul, George s....seescvsoseysas 393
Morven,—Description of ........- 172 | Paul, Robert W. ...-.-.-se+-eees 305
Moscow «+ +s sees rece eee eeeeeees SIS 1 Daal Wikia Joc osaiioke ances 304
Muckleston, Rev. W. J. --.--.---- Sb POT COE: Fic.cniessos emo 'ews.s shy as 138
Municipal Government, Develop- Perry. DRG hes itis esi ii sis te 283, 288
Re er See, ee 54 | Perry, Ebenezer ....--.-..... 336, 397
N Perty,« Pater. oo 6+ iss is «dy 188, 355, 306
Perry; Robert » 0.0 <000000% 162, 284, 350
Napanee,—Origin of name 41, 208, ee a’ CR eer! 316
The beginning of 209, First mills Wekiae BGs oi Kp 5.0408 keds Dee 300, 317
210, Bridges 211, Schools 212, Phelan, Nicholas « «0+... << /000' 83 333
School teachers 218, Building up Phillips, Robert .......-. 127, 216, 258
and extension of 221, “Fair Days” Physicians,—Not persecuted 40,
224, Building Town Hall 227, Need of among the Loyalists 49,
Selection as County Town 70, 227, legislation respecting 50, Quack
Mayors 228, Dominion Day 2209, doctors 51, 52, Medical Board es-
Lawyers 230, Doctors 231, Des- tablished 52, First successful can-
cription of by T. H. Waller 235, didates 52, of Napanee 231.
Postmasters 234, Directory of Pollard, Jol and E.: J) -.5+-.52. 278
business men 240, Pen picture of
Porter, Rev. G. Haughton
eee eee
426 INDEX
PAGE :
Porter, Richard ....-..--++++++-- 55 | Ruttan; Dr... Allan. <<t<s0..5esure
Post-Offices in 1840 48, sorting of Ruttan, George! (2755 .4.4: aeeewaren
mail in 178. Rattan, . Henty. (2<2s2.-seas eee
Preston, D, H. «+--++++e++e+- 218, 231 | Rattan, ‘Peters <i> see ores
Price, C. V., Judge ........+.+- 92, 208 | Ruttan, Wan) «<.).0n.soalaash aan 232
Prices of Merchandise 74, 75, 76, Ryan, Matthew. ..<:.s3.0ssseeasues 404
773 78, 79; 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, Ryerson, Rev. Egerton th aah ew’ 125
86, 87, 88, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96.
Pringle, Dan -..°s»+++0» 187, 223, 237 Ss
Pringle, Joseph .--++++++++ss+++- 205 | Salmon River,—Champlain at 5,
Prudential Laws ---+++++++++++++: 62 Origin of name 206, Only bridge
Pruyn Matthew W. ...--.---- sess 397 over 264.
Pruyn, Oliver Thatford,—Sheriff 72 | Schools, First in Upper Canada 97,
Pumpkin, The .-.++++- ++eseees 33 First in Fredericksburg 97, First
Purdy, Samuel ....-.-- tees cree 154 in Ernesttown 97, Public Schools
Puritan Fathers,—inconsistencies of 17 100, Bath Academy 101, Course
of study in common schools 105,
Q Text books 106, 107, 116, How
: ; school-house built 107, Early reg-
Quackenbush, Andrew <---..c.... aig | ister 113, Teachers) contracts 118
Quarter Sessions, Established 55, ptear school-house 120, Rev.
Duties performed 56, Meetings gerton Ryerson 125, Reminis-
56, Administer laws 63, Justices cences of early teachers 127, In-
shorn of power 66. : S chs se as
Quinte,—Origin of name 7, Origin- Pee Jo ’ b a le MESSI ie “
al limits of 138, First steam- Selby (0) 00) ac o>
pe en 30%. Sexsmith, Thomas V, <.s.<.%-..- 406 ‘
R Seymour, Hon. Benjamin ....151, 407
Sheffield Township <-..<:.5...%: 326
Red Tavern, The .............+. 211 | Sheriffs .......eceeseeesecseeees 72
Reeve, W. A., County Crown At- Sherman, James «0.0 -s.siee Tans 322
Dy ACR Der rie eons Fi 72 | Sherwood, H. B. -s.....5.+5. 212, 314
Reformer, The «00. ssgees's boas as 296 | Shibley, Jolin. «<..\ce.. diese vile an 204
Registry Office,—First .........-. 59 | Shibley, Schuyler ............--. 407
Register of school attendance .... 114 | Shirley, Rev. Paul ...185, 303, 313, 330
Reid; Janes +... eese0s. saake shee s 308 | Simcoe Falls .......+2.--00s8sess 311
Beeld, MR: +} avcas nw 4 780 05s Cee hae 133 | Sloat, Michael ..........++.-20. 139
Richardson, FF) S.s¢ hss. eg ands 251 | Smart, Rev, ...-+.cssecsseeccnes 192 ;
Richmond,—Origin of name 203, Smith, School Teacher ..........- 97
Taverns 203, Liverpool 204, Selby Sriider, Jolin: <<. ¢nabyain> «ean tee 175
205, First settlers in northern Society for the Propagation of the
part 206, Richmond Road 206, Gospel viiv.s vaddgs ee wisi somes 77
207, A drive through in 1860, 207. Sorel @ sicdie tis Sah chosen eae ee 26
Riley, Chatles: +. ics - se veannis nan 309 | Spencer, Ezra A, o2scscseteesees ~ 206
Roberts, Rev. Canon ......++...++ 192 | Spencer, Major Hazelton .--..... 408
Robinson, Christopher .......--.- 400 | Sproule, Joseph ......--+..++-+-- 180
Roblin, David 151, 157, 206, 209, 223, | Standard Napanee ...-...-....++- 273:
SeVeabihs and hawa te 275, 317, 341, 4o1 | Star, The Napanee ..........-.-- 281
Roblia:. Fob ais .08l 6 ieGdaws 145, 401 | Steamboat, first the .-.....-. : 60
Robin: willawe (5s~ W646 tate Lae eg 206 | Steele, Rev. Howard .....- wanes
Roe. Alfred. Fe -ciges Rs heya ss 403 | Stein, Charles ....... vines neha
Rogers, David acter Ae ee 403 | Stein, Paul ......-...+.+.341,
Rogers, 9 Oodle lisa nn dade vc 5 dete 29 | Stevens, Charles fe yiwaieiate
Rothwell, Rev. John Bis dice siatiiotes pier eiey ‘Edward re ay
INDEX , 427
PAGE | - PAGE ~
Stevenson, Hon. John.69, 211, 215, 242, | Vanalstine, Major,—Selects Adol-
258, 409 phustown for his Company 27,
Strachan, Bishop --.--.+++++++++ 50 Member of Land Board 30, Head
Strathcona .-.-+..eeceeeeceeeeeee 284 of Adolphustown Loyalists 138,
Stone, Rev. S. G. --.-seeeeeeeees 266 Opposes reduction of territory of
Storr, Elijah ......-ssseseee- 264, 411 Adolphustown 130, Marks of 141,
Stuart, Rev. Dr. John ..-30, 77, 97, 164 Dispute with Squire Ruttan 142,
Switzer Chapel ...--.-+-+++ 164, 288 Election of 145, Presbyterian
Symington, Thomas ......++.++++ 4it 268, Biography of 414.
Van Dusen, Conrade ............ 146
T Vanluven, Alpheus .........-. 310, 313
Tait, David ...-eeeeeceeceeeueres 195 | Vanluven, Egerton L. .......-.4.. 320
Tamworth, Champlain at 5, Mili- Vanluven, Everton By emcee 320
tary organization at 249. Vanluvett,: Peter: . v5. ssedics coerce 312
Teachers of Napanee Schools ..... 218 Venluves, “Sara tcise neces 320
Templeton, William .-.... 214, S30; BIA | Wennarhan Sock cunececkine Gs 345
Thompson’s Corners ..--..-.++++5 321 '
Thomson, James ...+-secsecrcess 413 W
Thompson, Timothy --.......++++ 419) |) Warne “Gente: 6 ised os duced oes ss 324
Tighe, Rev. Stearne .........++.- 192 | Wagar, Joel Damon ............. 324
Timmerman, Albert and Charles .. 175 Walker, Alonzo .......seeeeeeees 323
Timmerman, John A. ....--++.++. 178 Walker, Harvey S$... sfccsvecesse 323
Timmerman, Parker S. -.--.-- 175, 178 | Walker, Johnston ............00: 180
Town meetings ...--.-.-eeeeeeeee 59 Wellte< “Thee TE: texas siueces 234
Training Day «...--.«sssedeceeres RIG) Wareet An Gos lcaneteep etek eeee 317
Trumpour, DD BPA Arye e 62, I41 Wiartiet. Cir len. sey cece one Veco 317
U Warner TAtver . iicasis <cus 254, 416
~ Warner, Sidney ...... 174, 300, 317, 415
United Empire Loyalists,—Perma- Warner, S. C. County Crown At-
nent settlement began with 17, oe OORT EEE ener es 2
Decline to approve Declaration Wartenss: GAG sei reuese anti 416
of Independence 21, P ersecution Woateon- ¥.. 3. ssanesnkereanes 250, 417
of 22, Persecution continued Watts. Temee re co sys cans bas 180
after peace 23, Character of 24, Wheeler, Calvin ......... 326, 327, 328
Story of emigration 25, Arrival Wiedler Jaiies cs <2 facts eetnes 327
at destination 28, Assignment of Witablegtn- Witla: 55.5 ccewacweaat 327
land to 28, Registered by Land Wikelad, Witt. cis 5. cavew sina 2 302
Boards 30, Experiences in new Wilkinson, Rev. R. S. .....---eeee 192
homes 31, House building 32,
Primitive life of 33, Dress 34,
Seek compensation for losses 36,
Difficulties in obtaining compen-
sation 37, Mark of honour 38,
Origin of title U. E. L. 38, Hun-
gry year 30, Famine relieved 40,
Improvement in condition of 42,
Home life 46, Desire represent-
ative Government 54, Monument
to 143.
Utensils,—Description of those used
We tatty: days: sce dupe nasi 80, 90, 91
Vv
Valles, Dawid) 5 ict gceete eer ang 300
Vader's Mills eovore Sh se of Ld .
Wilkison, William Henry 71, County
Crown Attorney 72; 230, 254.
Williams, Lorenzo Dow .......-> 306
Wilson, Uriah ..228, 237, 281, 340, 418
TIN Scie rea Silesia dein s SARS Hee 174
Windover; Johtt.« 50s. ii.csieas des 206
EOS DERE UD wc vu va dpe ait ase 419
WU RAME . PitB Ra A 5 ncn eee sos newes 285
Wright, Reuben ........... Re re -s
Wright, Reuben G. .............. 285
Wyott, Robert «sci esis dives eee 180
¥
NNR scorers Ce ite hc ee ken» ta oe, ZOO
Vanee® MINS: iivicd win tre leg dais 0: 285,
ee
if,
sie
be
ae
Ea
eae
naa!
Fil
Mg
9 Syd ik toga. 3
J fig . , | L}
7) p
yey 4?
eae
Sra
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11